Red
by Isah Underhill
Summary: What if Robin Hood hadn't been able to save his wife when she caught a deadly disease while carrying his child? What if the Evil Queen had summoned him instead of the Huntsman to hunt down Snow White? Outlaw Queen
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there world! This is my first ever fanfiction after 12 years of being an avid FF reader. I would like to first take this opportunity to thank my wonderful friend Zoe who encouraged me to write my crazy ideas down and also agreed to beta this story. And I would also like to give a huge shout out to Cammy who all those years ago introduced me to this wonderful world of fanfiction.**

**The idea of this fic is obviously AU in the Enchanted Forest. It's a 'what if' Regina had sent for Robin instead of the Huntsman to go and kill Snow. But in order for that to be believable I had to make some changes in the original story and I felt these changes should be addressed in a prologue, so here it is! I hope you guys like it!**

He was broken. Just a broken man. Lost without hope of ever finding light again. Buried in darkness, stuck in a black and white world.

Marian, his darling Marian – the love of his life – was gone for good, and he had no one to blame but himself. Pain and guilt and anger ran through his veins like poison, until there was nothing left of the man he used to be. He couldn't even face his men anymore; the mere thought of the word 'merry' made him sick to his stomach. He would never be merry again. How could he? His happiness was buried with Marian, six feet under. Along with their dead child.

He had been so happy when they found out she was with child, he didn't think it was possible for someone to feel so much bliss in one lifetime. Back then everything had been perfect; he had had his wife – his best friend and one true love – and they were going to have a baby.

But duty called, and someone had to steal from the rich so the poor could survive the heavy winter. So he had left Marian in the care of Friar Tuck, safe in their secret hideaway at Sherwood Forest, and set out to King Midas' kingdom. The task was simple enough; 'steal enough gold for everyone to survive'. And since the King had the 'golden touch'... it wasn't fairly difficult to come by it. In the week that Robin and his Merry Men spent in the kingdom, they did what they did best and were able to assemble more gold than ever before. The joy at them being able to provide for their town put smiles on their faces, for a long while.

Robin could easily see that there were still several more nobleman estates that held an uncountable amount of gold. He let his mind wonder in day dreams of what that gold could bring him, his wife and their unborn child. A secluded house, hidden from all – even his Merry Men – just for him, his wife and their child. Enough food to live happily and comfortably. Just a little safe heaven where he could be alone with his family, watching his baby grow up and his wife grow old beside him.

It did not seem like a grand wish at the time. After all, that gold was to provide for families such as his own. But that gold was also the cause of his misery.

Little did he know the price he would have to pay for it.

The decision to stay a couple more days in this gold infested kingdom was not a difficult one to make; the noble people from this kingdom had more gold than they could ever count, they wouldn't even realize that they'd had some stolen. So Robin decreed that he and his Merry Man would stay for five more days, to steal from a few more houses before they made their way back to Sherwood forest.

Robin would never forgive himself for having made that decision; had he gone back to camp, back to Marian, instead of staying those five extra days... she might have lived. He would have found a way to save her. He was sure of it.

But how could he have known that while he was laughing at nobleman's stupidly, laughing at how easy it was breaking into their lavish homes, that his wife had fallen ill and was at death's door?

He will never forget the day he got back to camp after what the Merry Men and Robin himself referred to as 'their most profitable adventure so far'. He had a silly smile on his face until he entered Marian's tent, and saw her pale beige dress ruined with blood. She was unconscious and Friar Tuck was at her side holding her hand and muttering prayers.

She was pale, so very pale. She looked too thin and too small, not like his Marian at all. Nothing like the feisty, headstrong young woman he had saved from an arranged marriage just two years ago. Nothing like his beautiful, beaming, pregnant wife whom he had left behind in camp just twelve days ago.

His world faded away, the vibrancy of life fading until everything was black and white, all colour drained away from his reality... and now all he saw were shades of grey.

He could just make out Friar Tuck's distant words; 'she'd contracted an illness' ... 'a sudden change in weather' ... 'we weren't worried; it was just a fever' ... 'five days ago she took a turn for the worse' ... 'delirious' ... 'hallucinating'.

Robin stopped listening, not really caring about what had happened, just concerned about how to fix it.

But then Robin's hearing focused at the mention of his child. Marian had gone into labour, Friar Tuck had tried everything he could to save them both, but his child was simply not ready for this world just yet.

Marian's life had been hanging by a thread... her child had no hope.

And she had known; Marian had known she had lost her child. In the past few days, her only words had been to call out for Robin, her husband, her heart.

Robin fell to his knees beside his dying wife. Unable to utter a single word before her eyes opened slowly, her hand rose to cup his cheek and as she whispered her last word; 'Robin'.

Then her breath left her, her hand dropped, but her eyes remained open, staring at him, devoid of life.

For a while he couldn't move, he couldn't cry, and he was fairly certain he couldn't even breathe. He just stared right back at her. His beautiful wife... gone. Lost to him forever.

When he felt Friar Tuck's hand on his shoulder he snapped, breaking down, clutching Marian's lifeless body to his chest and never wanting to let her go. He had lost everything; his wife, his child and for what? For his people? His men? The gold?

Robin vowed that he would never touch gold again, he would never steal again, and if this was the price to pay for being an honourable man, then he didn't want to be that anymore.

As something inside him snapped forever, Robin couldn't bear to face his men anymore, or his people. Gone was the carefree, boyish, fierce leader. He felt hollow and alone. Even as the men he deemed as brothers tried to help him, tried to help him through his mourning when they had lost a loved one too. But he couldn't look them in the eye.

It had all been his fault, if he had just returned five days ago he would have been able to find a cure for Marian. He would have done anything to save her and their unborn child.

But now there was nothing he could do. They were both dead now. And it was all his fault.

And so he had left. He had taken his bow and arrows and simply vanished, vowing to never return to Sherwood Forest, its memories and its ghosts. He simply walked away with no destination in mind, only wanting to wipe away the image of his dead wife from his memory, forever.

Whatever it took.

...

Six months passed and Robin was still haunted by the images of that fateful day. He had wondered from forest to forest, from kingdom to kingdom, always staying clear of roads and cities; the busiest places were the worst for him, for in every woman he looked at, he saw Marian, and in every man, he saw his good Merry brothers. People he had lost forever.

...

A further six months passed quickly, and although it had been a while since Robin had cried himself to sleep with guilt, he still saw the world in black and white.

Robin was so changed he wouldn't be recognized as the man he was a year ago, sometimes he even wondered if his eyes had changed to a darker shade of blue, the light having faded away day by day.

Guilt and pain were still his daily companions, but something different started stirring in him when he had travelled to King Leopold's kingdom; for some inexplicable reason he couldn't bring himself to leave quite yet, even after having been there for a month. He had never lingered in a single kingdom for that long, not even back in his days leading the Merry Men.

But this kingdom was different; he was able to bring himself to walk through the streets of little villages and he could even bring himself to enter taverns (although he would never buy anything; he had vowed to never touch gold again and such things as drinks were paid for with gold only).

It was in a tavern when news reached his ears that King Leopold had been murdered in his own bed. One of his most trusted servants had a vicious, poisonous, two-headed snake bite him whilst he slept. "A horrid ending for such a benevolent king" the people had said.

It was with that thought that he realized just why he had been able to linger in this kingdom; Poverty was scarce, he had not seen one person going hungry or cold. Had he travelled there when he still with his Men, his services would have not been needed. And that lack of suffering was soothing, and the reason why he was able to linger.

...

He will never know how she was able to track him, but she had.

He didn't know how she worked out who he was – he hadn't uttered his real name in a little over a year – but she knew.

It was precisely two days after the king's passing that black knights had come for him. They unceremoniously grabbed him, dragging him away from his secret hideaway in the woods towards the castle. The only remark close to an explanation was "the Queen's orders".

"The Queen?" He had wondered in confusion at first; remembering how he had heard king Leopold's wife was long gone, had died quite suddenly of a rare disease. But then his mind was drawn back to a conversation he overheard in a tavern only a week ago. Two page boys who worked in the castle had commented on the king's birthday celebration, about how the festivities had not been grand, but it had been cheerful and moving. The king's speech concerning his deceased wife had brought tears to guests and staff alike.

Back then Robin had envied the king for having had only beautiful memories of his wife and a daughter who resembled her, who could bring sunlight into his life as a reminder of his lost love.

Robin had been left with nothing.

When the pageboys had discussed the very-much-alive, new Queen, Robin had only just caught the words, having been wrapped up in thoughts of the family he never had. The men had thought that, even though the first Queen was fair, the second was most certainly the fairest of them all. Even if that contradicted the king's opinion, the pageboys were quite adamant that the new Queen's beauty was unrivalled.

A sudden curiosity struck him, as he was being dragged against his own will. And curiosity was not something he had felt in the longest time. What could the Queen possibly want with someone like him? The grieving Queen nonetheless, who had only lost her husband two days ago.

As they approached the castle his curiosity had only increased, his mind wondering back to the page boy's words; 'The Queen's beauty was unrivalled'.

What does the fairest of all women look like? Robin wondered.

He felt a sudden thrill at the knowledge that he was just about to find out.

And when Robin first laid his eyes upon the figure reclining in that chaise longue, his black and white world gained another colour. The colour covering her flawless body and painting her flawless lips...

Red.

**And that's it for the prologue! Please let me know what you think!**

**And just a little insight, those five extra days would have been the days Robin went to Rumple's castle to steal the black fairy's wand in order to cure Marian. Cruel? Yeah, I know, sorry…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there everybody! First of all let me just say how absolutely grateful and overwhelmed I am at the response the prologue got! I truly feel very honored that so many people have reviewed, favorited and followed this story. So THANK YOU! **

**Let me also take this opportunity to thank my lovely, wonderful and amazing beta (aka fairy godmother) Zoe who corrects my mistakes and makes things more beautiful.**

**Now for this chapter I'd just like to say that it's good to keep in mind that Robin and Regina are soul mates regardless of how dark **_**both**_** their hearts are and that means deep shit. And also that this fic will contain a lot of smut, starting in this chapter. ;)**

There was no arguing with the page boy's remarks; the Queen was indeed the most beautiful woman Robin had ever laid eyes upon.

As soon as he was brought to stand a few feet away from where she sat, he was forced to his knees by one of the guards who uttered rashly; "Kneel before the Queen and keep that head down!"

His eyes were ripped away from the glorious, ruby red sight in front of him and were now staring at the cold, grey floor. Robin wondered if his world had gone black and white once again.

"Leave us," he heard her commanded firmly, in a harsh, indifferent tone.

Robin could hear the footsteps of the black guards as they left the room. His eyes were still fixed on the grey floor, but all he wanted to do was look up and steal another glance at the Queen's incomparable beauty. Yet the outlaw wasn't quite sure why he had been brought here, and so his gaze remained firmly on the polished stone underneath him.

The Queen hummed, and he could hear her moving on her chaise longue, and couldn't help but imagine the red fabric sliding over her skin as she shifted. Feeling the heat in her gaze from where he knelt, Robin wondered if her eyes would also bear the same shade of red she seemed to be shrouded in.

"Robin Hood," she drawled, slowly letting his name roll off her tongue before she ordered him to 'look up'.

Robin's head shot up so quickly he startled himself. The colour red had indeed returned to his reality like a hurricane. Their eyes met for the first time and Robin felt as if something had, for a split second, got a hold of his heart and squeezed hard. The sensation passed just as quickly as it came, but it left Robin's heart pounding loudly in his chest.

The Queen's eyes widened as the momentary sensation had hit him, and he wondered if she had felt that inexplicable something too.

Finally being able to drink in the image of the fairest of all women did nothing to aid Robin's attempts at keeping his heartbeat under control. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, the soft curls covering a large part of her chest. Her eyes were fierce, dark and heavily painted in black. She had a perfect angular nose, and an indentation on her upper lip that he couldn't help but want to trace with his tongue.

But Robin couldn't keep his eyes from her mouth, those supple red lips that were slightly parted before they curled into a malicious smirk. Her mouth was hypnotizing him, enticing him in. But when she spoke again, the spell was broken, and Robin's eyes returned to hers.

"Aren't you a difficult one to find?" The rhetorical question hung in the air as she paused for a moment and hummed, not paying much attention to the thief but seemingly enjoying the way he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"Although," she began with a hint of amusement "now that I'm in charge things are done much more efficiently in this castle."

Robin's frown grew as she chuckled to herself, as if sharing some inside joke. "I hear you have given up prancing from kingdom to kingdom doing charity with other people's possessions." She taunted, looking at the outlaw kneeling before her with a raised eyebrow.

All of a sudden Robin's blood began to boil, and it had nothing to do with the Queen's shapely figure.

He wasn't foolish; Robin knew that the Queen could order his execution in a heartbeat, but the angry words at her disdain towards him tumbled out of his mouth before he could even think about stopping them.

"What is it you want from me?" He asked, before looking her in the eye and slowly adding "_your majesty,_" hoping to draw a reaction from her.

The Queen let out an amused laugh. "I'm not sure if you are actually as bold as people say or just plain stupid," she said with a tilt of her head.

She stood from her chaise, and as soon as she did all the anger evaporated from Robin's mind, making way for more unwanted desires. The Queen's skin seemed to be an olive tone, from what little of it was shown; there was no low cut neckline, no bare arms, no slit in side of her dress. The lack of visible skin was typical for a grieving widow, but the dress itself was nothing like what Robin had imagined a mourning Queen to wear. The dark red velvet hugged the Queen's every sinful curve, from her perfect breasts to her exquisite arse. Robin couldn't help but feel slightly envious of the tight, black corset around her waist that moulded to her body and firmly held her supple flesh in its confines, as he wanted nothing more than to do just that himself.

She was stunning, breath-taking, and she knew how to use her allure to her advantage.

"Regardless of your stupidity," she continued, "I'm in need of your legendary aim."

The Queen approached him, stopping a foot away and resting a hand on her hip as she ran her other through her hair. His head was now dangerously close to something of the Queen's he never thought he would want so badly, tracing the outline of her hips with his eyes he swallowed. When she ordered him to his feet he was standing before her in two seconds.

Her eyes travelled slowly from his head to his toes, cataloguing his physique with hungry eyes. After a moment of studying him, she rolled her shoulders back, straightening up her posture as she gave a pleased sigh. A little grin tugged at her red, red mouth.

"I have a job for you." She stated.

"Why would I ever do anything for you?" Robin retorted before he could stop himself.

She analyzed him for a while with those sparkling, devious eyes. She raised one perfect eye brow and curved her mouth into a smirk as she got closer to him. Her index finger came up to lift his chin and the skin contact sent shivers throughout his whole body. Robin could see the Queen's eyes widen at the spark that lingered where their flesh met and was glad he was not alone in feeling such a powerful sensation from so little contact.

Looking deeply into his eyes, the Queen leaned forwards until their faces were dangerously close, whispering "because I have so much to offer," and smiling when she saw his swallow before inhaling.

Robin found the Queen's suggestive words and forward approach quite enticing, and his breathing quickened as he started to feel his below-the-belt reaction to her closeness. He couldn't help but let out a groan when that single finger trailed its way torturously slowly down his neck, past his Adam's apple, to the top button of his shirt.

The Queen broke the contact with a content sigh, bringing his attention back to her supple mouth before she started to prowl round him, ensuring she brushed against his growing erection as she did so.

Coming to a halt right behind him, about two feet away from where he was standing, she continued; "I need to dispose of an enemy, but that's proven to be more difficult than I had originally expected."

Robin didn't know why he was suddenly feeling so bold. Perhaps it was due to him having next to nothing to live for, or perhaps it was because, deep inside, he knew the Queen wouldn't kill him right away; she had sought him out personally to do this job… She needed him.

And so, turning around to face her once more, he retorted; "Well why don't you have one of your 'efficient' knights to your dirty work for you?"

The Queen gave a dangerous chuckle at his words, "I'd be careful if I were you outlaw." Darting her eyes to his lips, she added; "That smart mouth of yours might cost you your head someday."

Her eyes returned to his and she drew her bottom lip into her mouth, teeth worrying the soft flesh before she went back to smirking at him.

Robin was fairly certain that this woman was slowly and torturously trying to drive him to the brink of insanity with desire. He had never felt this much need for a woman before, and Robin had had his fair share of romantic escapades, even before Marian.

But this wasn't romantic at all.

This was raw, primal and dark. Her red lips were like a magnet, drawing him in with the urge to kiss, bite, suck and ravage them until red was the only colour they possessed.

Robin snapped himself out of his fantasies. What was happening to him? Had he really changed so much that he could be reduced to a lust crazed animal by someone he'd just met? Was he under some sort of spell? Or was this yet another consequence of his actions, his decision to avoid contact with others? He hadn't been around many people in a long time, and he had most certainly never been around anyone quite like this Queen standing before him.

"My target is much loved in this kingdom." She spoke suddenly, drawing his attention back to her lips. "I need someone who won't be deceived by appearances."

Turning her back to him, she headed towards a mirror on the wall behind her. As she stood and met his gaze in the reflection, she continued; "My prey has a protector, who hasn't left her side ever since my dear husband's passing." The way in which she uttered 'dear husband' made it very clear that the King had been anything to her but '_dear'_.

Robin wondered just how much involvement she actually had in his demise, having met the 'grieving widow' he wouldn't have been surprised if she had orchestrated the whole affair.

She turned away from the mirror to face him again and for a moment Robin could have sworn he saw the face of a man behind her, but he quickly brushed aside the notion; mirrors did not have their own faces.

"First you will rid me of her protector," the Queen declared. "My prey has taken to the habit of taking the forest route to the King's grave which she visits every day. She's escorted by her protector and no one else."

The indifferent look in the Queen's eyes faded away, leaving them sparkling with bloodlust and darkness.

"You are to covertly dispose of her protector with one single, fatal shot," she took a step towards him, inhaling deeply, "I want my prey to see her precious friend die right in front of her… and know that she's next."

The Queen approached him once again, still wearing that fierce, dark look in her eyes. "Once that is done, you can reveal yourself, then hunt her down and kill her whichever way you deem appropriate. But-" She raised her index finger in front her face in warning; "Once she's dead, I want you to carve out her heart, and bring it back for my collection."

Robin swallowed.

"Do you understand?" She asked firmly

"Yes" he breathed out, gaze fixed firmly on hers, wondering what this person could have possibly done to warrant such harsh treatment.

An evil smirk made its way onto the Queen's ruby lips, "Good."

She started walking towards him again, but passed straight by to stand in front of her chaise. Turning her upper body towards him, she raised a perfect brow.

"So-" she scanned him from head to toe once again, before lowering her voice to ask; "What do you want?"

_What did he want?_ He didn't even know if he was going to be able to go through with her evil plan. True, he had killed many men before; even in his days leading the Merry Men, many had found their lives ending by his hands. And after he had left, he really could not have cared less if a man was killed because of him.

He had fought constantly in the beginning. He had sought arguments with lesser men, attempting to find an outlet for his anger and despair over what he'd done to his wife and unborn child. And it had worked; it had made him feel numb, and hollow. And that was perfect.

Taking a life drained his emotions in a way that all feelings had started to feel the same and yet like nothing at all.

And that's how he knew he could do it.

He could do what the Queen had asked of him. Anything to feel that blissful numbness again.

But at that precise moment, in front this captivating woman, he most certainly did _not_ feel numb. Quite the contrary; this malicious and yet truly stunning Queen had awakened something in him he wasn't quite sure he had ever felt before. True, he had loved Marian with his whole heart, and he had desired her immensely. But this Queen stirred something extremely primal in him, something downright animalistic.

What did he want? He wanted to rip off that teasing dress from her body with his teeth, he wanted to take her against that ridiculous chaise longue until she screamed his name.

What did he want? He wanted to grab, lick, bite, mark her entire body like it belonged to him. He wanted to shut _her_ smart mouth with his cock and have her milk him dry and swallow every last drop when he came.

What did he want? He wanted her on top of him, he wanted to take her from behind, he wanted her on all fours, he wanted her in every position possible, and even some of the impossible ones – they could make them work.

She waited for his response, but he could not possibly voice his true wishes; they were no doubt too forward.

"There must be something you desire," she drawled after a moment, turning to fully face him. "Name it and it shall be yours."

In this light Robin could see more details of the dress she was wearing, his pupils dilated as he noticed that the black lace that covered the area between her breasts was translucent, and he could make out the curve of her breasts through the fabric.

The Queen, noticing his reaction, smirked and gestured for him to come hither with her finger. When he was just about half a foot away, she put that finger on his chest, making him halt in front of her. She then leaned closer, as if to kiss him, but just as their lips where ghosting over each other she changed her route until she had her mouth almost pressing against his ear.

"I'm sure we can come up with something that could be-" she inhaled before pressing her cheek against his and brushing her lips against the shell of his ear,"-quite enjoyable for the two of us, don't you think?"

"Yes." Robin answered, his voice dropping an entire octave. He was fairly certain he lost the ability to speak and his entire vocabulary the moment her tongue came in contact with the skin behind his earlobe in a swift lick.

Robin groaned as she bit his earlobe and chuckled slightly. He could feel her breath ghost over the skin of his neck, and then she withdrew so their mouths were mere centimeters apart and her breath ghosted over his lips instead. The Queen sank her teeth into her bottom lip as she stared at the outlaw's mouth, then she released it, and Robin was enraptured with the way the deep red colour returned.

"What is it outlaw?" She asked sultrily, her eyes never leaving his lips. "You want to sink your teeth into my lips the way I did?"

She blinked and her gaze returned to his, a malicious smirk appearing on her lips as she saw his Adam's apple bob with a loud swallow.

"Ever since the first moment I saw them," he admitted when his speech recovered.

She hummed and gave him a small smile. "Well then… isn't this your lucky day?"

The Queen slid her finger down his chest, promptly hooking it into his waistband and pulling, closing the distance between their bodies. Robin let out a low groan and both his hands immediately shot to grab onto her sinful ass, pulling her even closer. His face lowered to the crook of her neck and he inhaled her scent deeply, grinding his hips against her.

The Queen let out a small moan at the contact, teasingly asking; "Eager, are we?"

Her free hand raised and all of a sudden Robin could hear the heavy doors being closed behind him with a loud bang. He raised his head in confusion but the Queen merely gave him a half shrug and tugged harder on his waistband.

The contact between them was electrifying, there were so many things Robin wanted to do, but he honestly did not know where to begin. His hands flexed at her hips as the urge to bunch the material up in his fingers swept through him. But then she captured his lower lip between her teeth and he could do nothing but tighten his grip on her. He could feel her trace her tongue over his lip, and a soft moan escaped his throat. But she broke the contact too soon, leaning back with an evil gleam in her eye.

"Hmm, tasty. I like that." She purred.

Robin had to take a large intake of breath in between gritted teeth as the hand she had used to pull them together found its way underneath his shirt and slowly trailed up his torso.

"And I like _this_ very much indeed" she added, with a wink.

When her fingers reached just underneath the center of his ribs, she dug her nails into his flesh and dragged them down his torso in an incredible erotic manner that had Robin letting out a gasp.

"If you are lucky, I might even keep you outlaw."

She trailed her other hand past his waistband and palmed his hard member with vigor through the fabric of his pants. Robin groaned loudly as his head fell back.

Taking the Queen's incredibly forward actions as an open invitation to make himself familiar with her body, he ground himself against her alluring figure as his mouth found the pulse point on her neck and sucked hard.

Now it was the Queen's turn to moan, and the high pitched sound she released was music to Robin's ears. Damn her; even when uncontrolled, everything about her was beautiful. And damn _him_; his absolute lack of self-control made it very difficult to focus on anything other than this mesmerizing woman in front of him.

Damn his past and his wrong doings.

But right here, right now, and for the first moment in the longest time, something felt right.

Robin bit, nipped and sucked over every inch of exposed flesh until the Queen was moaning, gasping and trembling. He was reluctant to confess the flesh to flesh contact drew out something he had never felt before, ever. The sparks were raw and almost overwhelming, but he worked his way up her neck, resolute on painting it red with his mouth.

Both of the Queen's hands suddenly came to grab the back of his neck, her nails clawing so deep they could have easily drawn blood. Robin was surprised to discover he didn't mind the pain, could even perhaps admit he rather liked it. The firmer his advances became, the louder she moaned and the harder her nails dug into his flesh. Robin couldn't help but get a bit carried away, biting down hard – drawing a gasp from the Queen – and then tracing the indentations his teeth made with his tongue.

They were suddenly interrupted by a man's voice "Your majesty, if I may..."

Robin was startled and looked up to find the Queen's eyes wide and rage-filled. She hadn't moved; her nails were still digging into the back of his neck, but she looked right through him. Robin noted something else in her eyes, there was anger, yes, but he could also see frustration, and exhaustion.

He looked about the room, searching for the source of their interruption so he could rip their tongue out – he was very much so enjoying his 'negotiation' with the Queen - but he found it to be empty except for the pair of them.

The Queen dropped her fierce grip from his neck and spun around quickly to face the wall behind her.

More accurately; she turned to face her mirror.

Robin was taken aback at his earlier notion of seeing a face in the mirror being proven correct; there was a man's face inside the mirror on the wall, hovering like a ghost.

Robin had seen many a strange thing in his lifetime, but he had had very little contact with this kind of witchcraft. The hovering head made him slightly uneasy, and the dark expression worn on its face didn't help matters.

"How _dare_ you?" The Queen roared towards the mirror, her seductive expression replaced with one of fury.

"Forgive me your majesty," The mirror asked, before continuing in a tone Robin would usually associate with those of a jealous disposition; "I merely thought that it wouldn't be wise for the thief to claim his reward before-"

"You have _no_ say in how I tend to _my_ deals!" She spat at the mirror, cutting off whatever reasoning the disembodied face was planning to give. Robin could clearly see that the Queen was enraged; her nostrils flared, her hands clenched into fists and the corner of her ruby mouth turned up in a snarl. "I will do as _I _please!"

Robin found himself gasping when she made the mirror disappear in a cloud of smoke with a mere wave of her hand. The Queen was a witch.

Well, that explained a lot, such as the doors conveniently closing when he had first grabbed her, despite there clearly being no one else there. Perhaps she had put him under some sort of spell, it would explain this seemingly inexplicable attraction to her. But somehow, he knew that just wasn't true; she may have seduced him with her charms and luscious body, but there was no magic involved. He was sure of that.

Robin watched as she waved her hand and another cloud of smoke appeared, the mirror reappearing high above in the ceiling. The man's face was still there, although he was now decidedly more terrified. "And if you _ever_ interrupt me again… I will make sure to have _every single_ mirror in this castle crushed to pieces!"

With a flick of her wrist the mirror fell, crashing loudly on the floor as it met its shattering demise.

The Queen had her back to Robin, and was breathing slowly, and heavily, as if to try and compose herself before she returned her attentions to her 'guest'.

Robin was at a loss of words at what had just transpired. What was that thing? Was there an actual person trapped inside a mirror? And the Queen's magic… That was something that turned Robin's thoughts into a knotted mess.

Of course he knew of magic, and some people had the innate ability to wield it. But the few witches he had come across had been old, not entirely sane and had resorted to more potions than actual spells.

Shortly after he had left his Merry Men, Robin had entertained thoughts of how magic could have helped save his wife. He had been to the fairies, but he was told that their magic could not bring back those who had been taken by death. Then he had visited all the witches he could track down, but had been met with the exact same answer. He even considered the Dark One, as ridiculous a notion as it was, but he could never quite bring himself to formulate a plan to break into his castle.

But the Queen was not like any other he had met before. He had never seen this kind of magic. And if she could so easily summon consciousness into a mirror with a wave of her hand, then maybe she was powerful enough to...

"You have magic..." He breathed out.

The Queen stilled but remained with her back turned to him. She waved her hand once more and the mess the broken mirror had left on the floor disappeared. The dark frame shaped like the flaming sun reappeared on its initial spot on the wall, but there was no reflective surface on the inside.

She then turned to face him, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

Nevertheless, Robin felt hope spread itself throughout his heart. Maybe the Queen finding him was no coincidence. Maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe _he_ was meant to find _her_.

Those thoughts ran riot through his mind, repeatedly. He would kill for her, twice, and then she'd owe him a favor. And now he knew what he wanted his favor to be.

With new found confidence he declared; "I know what I want in exchange for my services."

She still remained expressionless, but raised one eyebrow whilst asking; "Oh? You do?"

"I want you to use your powers… to bring my wife back from the dead." His voice broke a little at the end of the sentence, and tears he didn't even realize were pooling in his eyes threatened to break free.

The Queen's eyes widened at his words and her mouth opened a little. She stared at him without blinking, as if she'd seen a ghost, her face a myriad of emotions. From all he had seen from her, from the seduction to the blood lust, from the passion to the fury, the woman standing before him was a completely different person to the one he had been attacking with his lips not two moments ago.

Through the blurry haze – caused by the tears he refused to shed – they held each other's gaze. There was a horrid, weighted silence between them for a moment, before the Queen shook her head slightly and confessed in a small voice; "I cannot do that."

She took a large intake of breath and ran a hand over her cheek. "All magic has rules, and one of the more cruel ones, is that you cannot bring back the dead."

Robin felt his heart sink inside his chest, shrinking and shrinking until there was nothing left. He screwed his eyes shut and let the tears he had tried so valiantly to keep at bay run down his face.

Pain. The pain was back. And the guilt. And every single helpless feeling he had ever experienced. They all returned and set about crushing him under the weight of his regret. For a short while he had been able to shut them away and feel like he was worthy of taking a breath again. But now they were back, and stronger than ever. He had been a selfish, horrid person, and now he was paying the price. His world was no longer black and white but black alone – the last traces of light having faded along with his last hope. Darkness consumed him, there was only dark...

The Queen cleared her throat and he opened his eyes. She was still a vision in red.

"Don't kid yourself outlaw." She said, there was a small trace of sympathy in her voice, almost unnoticeable but he could detect it. "I was taught long ago that dead is dead. There is no amount of magic that can change that." She swallowed and darted her gaze from his, "If there was a way to do such a thing... Well..." She took a deep breath "We wouldn't even be having this conversation." 

She looked back at him and blinked. For a heartbeat, she looked like someone else, not the bold and audacious Queen he had met when he had been marched in, but someone shattered, someone broken, completely devoid of happiness. Someone hollow and alone. For a moment he saw everything he had felt in the past year inside her dark eyes. He saw himself.

And then it was gone. Her trace of vulnerability a distant memory, and her eyes cold and distant.

"I shan't be rewarding you until your task is done anyhow." She said icily.

She walked past him and came to rest on her chaise longue once more. Robin looked at her and knew that whatever glimpse he had seen of a broken woman was gone, and so he went back to thinking about the task in hand.

"So…" Robin started, squaring his shoulders and tilting his chin up, "who do you want me to kill?"

**And this would technically be it because I planned to write a one shot with this plot but I'm obviously not going to leave it there. So I'm going to go ahead with this crazy plot and storyline and hope for the best. **

**Please let me know what you think! Ask questions! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! WOW, the amount of response I'm getting with this fic is like unbelievable and I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much if you have reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story, you have made me very happy!**

**My never ending gratitude goes out to my beautiful beta Zoe! Thanks girl, you're DA best!**

**I forgot to explain something about the last chapter (And I know I don't really have to but I feel like it'd be nice for us all to be in the same page). With the whole mirror thing, I actually don't really buy it that Regina was able to control and puppet master the genie inside the mirror quite so early. And I very much like the idea that he kinda haunted her, because let's face it, he does look like a ghost and it's so creepy that he is inside every mirror she looks at. So that's why he interrupts them and she's so furious, because it's as if there's still a man trying to control her and she won't have any of that anymore. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter so without further ado…**

After the Queen had unceremoniously informed Robin that he was to dispose of none other than Princess Snow White, she had explained her plan further; even though Robin would do his first kill concealed, the Queen wanted to make sure he was not discovered by any of the forest rangers. These forest rangers were part of the royal guard who patrolled the grounds about the castle, and they were annoyingly loyal to the King. Since the kingdom had been peaceful for many years the rangers were few, and either too old or too young to do the actual work of the royal guards. They guarded the forest as sentinels, and if anything were to happen it was them who would sound an alarm.

And that's what the Queen most dreaded; she had said that she did not need anybody discovering her plans as it would amount to a huge drawback and she'd be forced to return to square one. She insisted upon having the brat's heart for her collection, something which Robin still could not quite swallow. If he were to dispose of the princess the same way as her companion, their troubles would be few and he could sooner, rather than later, claim his reward. A reward which involved them both naked and sweaty. Something Robin was quite eager to do.

But the Queen was burning to have her grip on the girl's heart, and there was no talking her out of it – not that he tried; Robin was not suicidal. Luckily for him, the Queen had already arranged for him to join the forest rangers. He would pretend to be a peasant whom the crown that taken pity on, for his entire farm had been burned down, along with his family. Robin had to laugh at how much that rang true to him – if he didn't laugh he would have cried – but she couldn't have known that.

And that was how Robin had found himself in the Ranger's headquarters – although it looked much more like a haunted house than anything else. The clothes he had been given were not new; the last young ranger who had been moved to the royal guard when he came of age had worn them. The uniform was simple and quite similar to the clothes Robin wore previously; very light and rather comfortable, easy to manoeuvre in. The only difference was that he now had the royal crest glued to his chest, something that would make his Merry Men laugh for an entire week.

The thought of his merry brothers made Robin's chest ache and he had to fight to keep those memories at bay. That part of his past was locked away; he was not that person anymore. He couldn't be.

Robin's attention was drawn away from reminiscing as he was forced to listen to the chief Ranger, Captain Mormant, who was addressing him.

"Ah, I'm glad to see young Arthur's uniform fits you!" the man had said as Robin re-entered his office. The captain was well beyond his fighting years, although he held himself with great pride. His hair was almost all white but Robin could see a few remaining grey strands. His skin was quite weathered and the wrinkles of his face tripled as he gave Robin a sincere yet tight smile.

"Yes, thank you sir." Robin replied, attempting to act as normal as possible. The story the Queen had set for him was not difficult to make believable; the role of the grieving widower came quite naturally to him. The same could not be said of a certain Queen…

Why were his thoughts trailing in her direction yet again? True, she was quite unforgettable, but this was getting ridiculous. Robin had to only let his mind wonder for a few moments and the image of her all clad in red – and sometimes not clad in anything at all – would rush into his head.

"Good." The chief responded, "You've come just at the right time, we have been in need of another ranger…" the chief looked at him, then slightly narrowed his eyes and gave a slight chuckle "How foolish of me, I seem to have forgotten to ask for your name!"

Robin had to laugh, "It's Ro-" he stopped his sentence midway and closed his mouth as he almost blew his cover, his actions with the Merry Men had not allowed for anonymity; Robin Hood was not a suitable alias. And if he was recognized, it was doubtful the Queen would have been pleased.

_Ah! That damned woman_, Robin thought. Yet again, she had managed to snake her way into his thoughts.

Robin cleared his throat, "Roland, my name is Roland." He gave the captain a small smile, and prayed to whatever high force above that he sounded sincere enough.

Thankfully, the man did not need much convincing. "Very well, Roland." He said.

"Since this forest is quiet and not very grand, we only need three rangers to do the patrol during the day and two rangers during the night." He continued, "You will be responsible for the east patrol during the day, when you're not on patrol your time is yours to do as you please."

"Very well, sir." Robin was feeling rather foolish, pretending he gave a damn about the instructions the old man was giving him.

Honour. Robin almost scoffed. Honour had only brought him misery. The old man held himself with pride as if this pathetic job of watching over a couple hundred trees was relevant. Nevertheless, Robin pushed down his real feelings and paid closer attention to the man's words.

"Billy does the south patrol, and Dominic the west. They will be here any minute." The old captain continued, "The day shift ends at sundown, and the boys come by here before they head home."

"I have no home to go back to sir, I was told I am to take my rest here." Robin said; it was the last thing the Queen instructed him to say before she ordered him away. It was probably her way of keeping an eye on him.

The old captain frowned and dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry about that lad." He looked up again, "But yes, you are to stay here then."

"Come." Mormant continued as he strode towards Robin. "I shall show you the rest of the headquarters."

The old man pushed open the timeworn, wooden door that led to a common room. The space was not grand, but it accommodated a round table with several chairs around it. The bookcases contained more trinkets than actual books, and there were several mismatched chairs dotted around the room, several of them in front of the lit fireplace, an obvious source of warmth in the cool weather.

"There was a time when this house was full of noise and filled to the brim." He muttered whilst looking around at the empty room, his expression haunted. "Now… it's too quiet."

Robin was then led up the old, worn stairs, each step resulting in a sharp creak when weight of any kind was put on it. There was a long corridor upstairs with several wooden doors either side, the hallway was barren except for a rotting carpet covering the surface of the floor. Even during the day the place looked haunted, Robin could only imagine it was going to be even worst once the sun was down. To Robin's surprise, the carpet bared the colour red, not as vibrant as the Queen, but faded as if it was just a trace of her having been here.

The old man led him to a door at the end of the corridor, as it was pushed open the hinges squeaked. The captain gestured for Robin to enter. The room was empty but for a bed, a small wooden table that looked like it was about to crumble and a petty mirror that hung just above it.

"You will be taking your rest here." He said, "It's been a long time since anyone has spent the night." Knowing that did not ease Robin's mind in the slightest. But he just shrugged off the feeling. What could possibly happen to him? He was technically the person everyone else should be afraid of; he was the monster who was going to assassinate the royal princess come sunrise.

"Thank you, sir." Robin replied with a nod. An idea entered Robin's thoughts and before he could stop himself he inquired; "Captain, if you do not mind my intrusion, for how long have you served this order?"

The old man gave a hearty laugh as Robin was expecting him to. "Ah, for longer than you have been alive, lad."

"So I imagine you have been in the presence of the king and queen on many an occasion." Robin said, calculating his every word.

"Oh, yes!" the old man's ego was starting to swell as Robin's words hit bull's eye. "I was even present at the royal wedding." The man said proudly.

"Even the second one, sir?" Robin asked, pretending to be fascinated. Old fool.

"But of course!" the old man beamed. "That girl was lucky indeed to have won the wee princess' affections so quickly."

Robin was confused, "Girl?"

"Oh yes. When our present Queen first came to the castle, already engaged to the king, she was merely a girl. Seventeen years old if I'm not mistaken." The old man stated.

"Seventeen?" Robin was slightly horrified and feared to count the years separating the young woman from her royal husband. So young.

"Yes. She was a quiet, timid thing when she came here, rarely smiled, and when she did it would never really reach her eyes." The old man continued looking out the small window "At that time my rounds would take me near the stables, I was able to spot her there caring for a mare she had brought from her parent's estate on more than one occasion." He continued "It was there where she seemed most at ease. Don't you find that odd?" he asked without drawing his gaze from the outside view.

"Yes." Robin responded automatically. His plan had worked perfectly; he knew these old castle coots took great pride in boasting how much they knew about their lords. And the old man chose just the royal wanted to hear about. The Queen. Although, it seemed as if he was talking about a completely different person. _Timid? Quiet?_ Robin had seen several sides of the Queen that day, ranging from promiscuous to determined to heartless, but he was yet to experience the side Mormont had seen.

"Have you ever seen her lad?" the old man turned to him.

"No, I have not." Robin lied, his mind filling with images of translucent lace, red velvet and crimson lips.

"Well, you will sooner or later. The East path leads to the King's resting place. She's bound to make her way through it any day now to pay her respects, as his daughter does every day." The captain informed him.

"I have only heard rumours," Robin tried, "but they say she is the fairest of all women, is that true?"

Robin found the old man's reaction comical as his face turned red, before speaking in a hushed, serious tone; "I bear the utmost respect for my King, boy." He was looking Robin right in the eye, but then the old man's gaze dropped and went out of focus as a small smile appeared on his face when he continued, "God forbid me for saying this, but she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Robin wondered what else he could have gotten out of the old bear if a noise downstairs hadn't drawn his attention away.

"Come boy, the others are here."

Robin was introduced to his day patrol companions, Billy and Dominic, who were far too young and foolish to be handling any kind of weaponry. They were both a foot shorter than Robin, not a day older than 18 and far too merry for his taste.

"It is a rather tedious job if I can be completely honest with you, my friend." Billy had said after the old captain had taken his leave and the three of them were sitting alone in the common room "People hardly ever use the forest route anymore."

"Although, Roland will be taking the East watch." Dominic pointed out.

"That's true! Lucky sod! You will be able to steal a glance or two at the lovely little princess." Billy said, laughing.

Robin nodded at that and wondered if the Queen would not mind if he got rid of two additional people. They laughed too much and far too easily which irritated Robin to no end. They reminded him too much of the youngest of his merry man. Lads who had made blood oaths with him. Blood oaths that Robin had broken. Every single one of them.

He wondered if the Merry Man still existed even in his absence or if they had broken apart since they had no leader. But there was slight comfort in the knowledge that Little John would never let that happen…

"…patrolling under those skirts!" he caught Dominic saying, drawing his attention back to the present conversation. The boys were both laughing and sending mock kisses off into the air.

Robin rolled his eyes.

"Have you caught sight of her yet?" Billy asked Robin.

"Sorry, of whom?" Robin inquired.

"Of the princess Snow White, that's who!" the boy responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, I have not." Robin said not really trying to conceal his irritation anymore as he rose from his seat to prevent himself from strangling one of the little imps. "Lads." He said as he nodded to each of the boys and turned on his heel.

The boy's smiles froze on their faces for half a second before they continued with their conversation, their loud voices still reaching Robin even when he had lifted his foot onto the first step.

"Enough about the princess Dom. You know whose sorrows I would love to soothe away." Robin stopped dead, his blood boiling at the suggestive manner Billy said 'soothe' that had nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with several sexual acts.

"She looks so different now." Dominic said, "You should have seen her today Bill!"

The rest of his statement was too quiet for Robin to hear, so he took a few steps back towards the common room and pressed his ear against the oaken door.

"…could have sworn I saw her lips curl in a smile at the ceremony." Robin caught Billy saying.

"Don't be daft Bill, why would she smile at her husband's funeral?" Dominic inquired.

"I don't know, maybe he was bad in the sack." Both gasped at Billy's words and there was a silence, then Robin could hear both lads bursting into laughter.

"I would most certainly like to help her majesty with _that_!" Billy said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Bill, you are crazy, if anyone hears you…" Robin could hear the sound of chairs dragging on the floor and heavy footsteps making their way towards the spot he was standing. He quickly rushed up the wooden stairs before the boys could catch him eavesdropping. Robin's years as an outlaw making it easy for him to make it to the top of the stairs swiftly and soundlessly.

Robin was now left alone in the old batty house Mormont had insisted on calling Head Quarters. He retrieved his bow and arrows from inside a tree, he had found it was always best to hide weapons to avoid drawing suspicion of any kind. Sitting on the edge of his bed, feeling more like himself, he had a moment to reflect on the events of this insane day.

If anyone were to tell him that in one cycle of the sun he would be hired to murder a princess, join the royal guard and have the Queen bite his ear and squeeze his hard member, he would have laughed until he passed out.

And yet, with so much ahead of him, Robin could not help but dart this thoughts towards the temptress that had landed him in this whole affair. How absolutely electrifying it had felt when their bare skin came in contact, how the sound of her moans had made him delirious, how the taste of her skin still lingered on his lips. He wanted her, he wanted _far_ more than what he had gotten that afternoon. Robin found himself looking forward to completing his mission so he could bask in his reward. He vowed to fuck that woman so hard she would feel the ache his cock had caused her for days.

As Robin's thoughts lingered on the seductive Queen, he could not help but think of the young, shy, seventeen-year-old bride who loved horses…

Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared right in front of him and he had grabbed his bow and arrow and drawn aim before he was even on his feet. As the smoke cleared he could make out a figure that could only belong to one female temptress, one he had become quite familiar with that very afternoon, one that he wouldn't mind becoming even more familiar with in the future.

The Queen was staring back at him with an unimpressed scowl and a raised eyebrow.

"Put that silly thing away outlaw." She commanded.

Robin was surprised to see her again so soon after their earlier meeting, and he almost forgot he was aiming his arrow right between her enchanting eyes. He quickly drew his bow away from her.

"Forgive me. I thought…" Robin started but she promptly interrupted him

"Your thoughts do not interest me in the least, thief." She snapped. "I only came here to deliver something to you."

She was still wearing the same dark red velvet dress, but the intricate hairdo she had worn had been undone. All of her long black tresses were cascading down her back, it looked as if she had just carelessly removed the pins and had tossed her hair to the side, but the silky, black locks framed her gorgeous face perfectly. Unfortunately for Robin, that face was not wearing the same seductive expression from a couple of hours ago, but rather a somewhat annoyed one.

"You honour me, your majesty. Coming to see me, in person_,_ to make the delivery." The flirtatious words were out before Robin could stop them. Had he gone completely insane? This woman was downright mercurial; any step out of line and he his fate could be far worse than what she had in store for the princess.

She let out a disgusted huff and rolled her eyes, before turning her displeased gaze onto him. "Do not flatter yourself thief; I only came myself because no one can know about our arrangement."

"Well that thing in your mirror most certainly knows about this arrangement right to the very last detail." Robin taunted, meeting her eyes – which widened at the mention of the mirror.

"That is irrelevant. He is irrelevant." Her words were cold and harsh. Did she detest everyone?

"Speaking of which…" she waved her hand and the small mirror that was hanging above the table disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She hummed looking at the now empty wall.

Her eyes went back to his as she extended her hand in his direction. "Take this."

Seeing that she did not intend to move, he approached her and took a small broche from her hand. It was but a small thing, the size of a button, shaped like a four-ended star of a compass, but beared the vivid colour of red that had been returned to his repertoire that day. He felt that odd zapping sensation when their skin came into contact again. And when the Queen quickly withdrew her hand, Robin came to the conclusion that it could not be one-sided; she must have felt it too.

"Pin it on that disgraceful jacket of yours." She spat with disdain.

Robin did as he was told, pinning it on the left side of his jacket, just above his heart. "If your intention was to better my garments, I'm afraid the broche is of little assistance."

Robin was fairly certain the Queen had not come to play, but he felt an odd kind of satisfaction in delivering those words to her and watching her eyes grew wide.

"Don't be ridiculous, outlaw," she dismissed, but Robin could sense that her words held less poison than before. "That broche is enchanted."

Robin raised both his eyebrows at this new information, turning his eyes to the broche that was now pinned on his jacket. "So you can control me?"

"No, you buffoon!" She retorted as she narrowed her eyes. "It's so I can see everything you see through my looking glass. I want to watch."

"Watch what?"

"What do you think, you idiot?" She responded, her dark eyes igniting with wild fire. "I want to see you rid the world of that insufferable, spoiled brat with my own eyes."

Robin took an unconscious step back.

"But isn't your looking glass currently housing that 'irrelevant' friend of yours?" Robin said with a smirk, trying to bring back a more pleasantly passionate version of the Queen.

She rolled her eyes yet again, "I have managed to enchant one looking glass so he…" she stopped halfway through her tirade – which she said with a tone so fed up it was as if she had been talking to him for hours. It probably felt like it.

"I do not owe you an explanation of any kind, thief." She snapped, the furious fire back in her eyes as she stalked over to where he stood and promptly pushed him back with a single hand on his chest.

Robin stumbled slightly, losing his footing for a moment and almost stumbling into the small, battered table. She gave a pleased huff through her nose and smirked at his loss of balance. Robin found it odd that she would resort to physically pushing him; he was well aware of her being quite capable of doing much more damaging things with her magic.

With yet a new shade of red dancing through her amused, fiery eyes she closed the distance between them as one of her hands rose to grab one of the lapels of his jacket to tug him closer to her.

Their lips were almost touching and Robin could scrutinise the intense, red colour that adorned her lips. The vibrancy of the ruby red shade was as if she had just coloured them, which was a ridiculous notion; why would she…

Robin's train of thought was interrupted as the Queen said through clenched teeth, "You would do well to remember that I'm in charge; I'm the Queen."

Their lips were a mere hair's breadth away and Robin longed to take her plump lips into his and ravage that devious mouth. He could feel the Queen's heart beating fast against his chest and he knew that anger was not the only thing surging through her.

"Now show me some respect… and kneel." She ordered with a raised eyebrow, the hand clutching his lapel shoving him downwards.

Robin had to kneel whether he wanted to or not, although he was not complaining of his current position, since now his head was yet again aligned with her…

"That's better," Robin heard her say, he kept his gaze forward. _So close_ he thought as he licked his lips. His mind racing with ideas of what he could do if that damned ruby red velvet was not there.

To his utter disappointment, she took a step back. Robin looked up. She was grinning as she studied him from above, _Gods above…_ that woman was stunning. With a wave of her hand Robin watched startled as a big tear started making its way up from the hem of her dress to just above her knee, her bare leg now visible to him. Robin's mouth watered at the sight and he had to swallow, his eyes glued to the newly exposed skin. Her leg looked downright flawless, perfectly toned and silky smooth.

Suddenly, she brought the foot that belonged to the exposed leg to rest on his neck and the sensation was both erotic and terrifying. The toe of her shoe slightly lifting his chin as her heel dangerously dug into his Adam's Apple. She leaned her body forward, looking positively predatory, outstretching her arm so her elbow was on her raised knee and her fingers tilted his chin up so he met her gaze. Her index finger on the other hand travelled along her red lips, Robin's eyes followed the movement as she parted them and took the tip into her mouth for a second, biting it flirtatiously as she studied him.

"Now, let's see if you are really worth keeping." She purred her eyes sparkling with anticipation, Robin had to swallow again to which she gave a little grin.

She leaned back and trailed her foot tortuously slowly down his neck before it came to rest on Robin's shoulder. Her high heel was digging into the flesh of his shoulder, and the scratch the sharp point had left on his neck stung, but all pain simply dissipated at her next words.

"Now, let's put that smart mouth of yours to good use."

Her foot left his shoulder as she kicked off the high heeled shoe. Her bare foot returned to his chest, trailing further to hook just behind his shoulder and before he could blink, she yanked him to her with it.

Robin, already hard as a rock, was absolutely delighted at what had just transpired; this woman was truly unique, and she wanted _his _mouth on her. He had never met anybody who could awaken so many different emotions in him all at once. But the emotion he was focusing on now had a lot to do with the delicious leg that was now hooked over his shoulder.

He got closer as she removed her other shoe, she lost a few inches but now his head was perfectly aligned with the apex of her thighs. Robin licked his lips and he heard her say "Don't make me regret this, thief… Pleasure me."

Robin's hand went to the Queen's ankle that was not over his shoulder and worked his way up her silky smooth leg, his palm heating up with the heat and sparks from the contact. His touch was light, which surprised him immensely, but this was all too good to be true and might very well be a dream, Robin decided he was going to take his time and make this last.

As his hand reached the Queen's thigh, he dragged his nails back down – drawing a soft moan from the monarch as her left hand came to rest on his shoulder. Robin's other hand came to caress the leg that was curved over his shoulder, the Queen hummed when he began trailing open-mouthed kisses, hot and wet, on the flesh next to him.

Robin made a vow to taste every single inch of the strong but so very soft legs. As he gently bit into the skin of her thigh, he was amused at the Queen's gasp as her muscles quivered under his lips. But the outlaw was most delighted when his wondering hand reached the soft curve of the Queen's arse and found nothing covering it.

As Robin's thumb found the Queen's core she let out a small moan when he brushed past her clit, he groaned when he discovered the only thing covering her was slick arousal. He slid a tentative finger into her and she moaned yet again.

The vision of this goddess, of this woman, bucking her hips against his finger, stormy eyes shut, plump red lips hanging open and head slightly tilted back, was heavenly. The notion that the Queen had come to him in this bleak, shabby house with the lame excuse of delivering that pathetic broche without any undergarments and already wet with desire, sent a fire through Robin's body. Robin felt a wave of lust wash over him when he mused that it was as if the Queen was confessing to him that she ached for him to take her and ravage her until they both passed out with exhaustion.

With this newfound revelation, Robin slid his finger out of the Queen's wet folds.

"What the hell do you think…" She halted her sentence midway when Robin grabbed the ends of the tear she had created in her dress and pulled until the tear reached her navel. The Queen let out a big gasp and Robin looked up and grinned, expecting to have riled her enough to see that fire in her eyes again, but to his utter and complete surprise she let out a hearty laugh, not mocking but almost adolescent – as if she'd been caught misbehaving.

"Nice handy work, outlaw," she said, a little out of breath. She bit her lower lip as she looked at him. She cupped his right cheek and drew her thumb along his lower lip and he immediately took that thumb into his mouth and sucked hard, twirling his tongue around it and earning a hiss from the Queen when he bit down. When he released it she continued, in a much more sultry voice; "Now fuck me with that tongue."

"With pleasure, your majesty" he breathed.

Robin let out a low groan as he turned his gaze ahead and was met with the sight of the Queen's bare, glistening folds. The sight, combined with her enticing and direct orders, suddenly made him hungry, famished… but luckily for him, the feast was laid right in front of him.

He quite literally pounced on her inner thigh, biting and licking and working his way up to her folds. But just as he was about to reach them he turned his mouth to her other inner thigh and gave it the same treatment.

With every new contact, he felt an electric connection, the odd overwhelming sensation of their flesh coming together was indescribable and absolutely addictive. It tingled every inch of Robin's flesh that brushed against hers and made his heart race.

The queen bucked her hips and gave a small wine in between her soft moans. Robin then turned his attention to her heated centre and gave her a generous lick that drew a throaty moan from between the Queen's parted lips. Robin licked her once again, but this time his tongue remained in her folds and quickly found her bundle of nerves, which he started to play with, teasing with his tongue. The Queen's hands came to grab onto his hair as she let out a soft yelp.

Robin licked, nipped, and sucked the Queen's pleasure knot thoroughly until she was panting and digging her nails into his scalp. Robin's hands had found their way underneath the ripped dress and started kneading the Queen's arse. Robin's grip was sure to leave crimson angry nail bites on her rear, but that only encouraged him to clutch her with more fervour. He wanted her to think of him every time she sat that glorious arse on that pompous throne of hers. I freaking _love _this.

He held her firmly as his mouth went down to explore her wet folds. The Queen tasted like the most exquisite thing in the world, and the combination of her arousal and her bittersweet perfume was something Robin could easily get addicted to. If he wasn't already.

When he finally did as he was told and promptly fucked her with his tongue, letting it slide inside her as much as he could and then withdrawing, the Queen threw her head back and let out a long moan. After a few thrusts, Robin found particular spot just after her entrance that made her open her mouth in an "O" and for a few moments she seemed unable to breathe. So Robin pressed to it, licking furiously until she was again able to fill her lungs and let out a scream that would have no doubt woken the entire castle had they been there.

Robin grinned against her folds and he felt her hand come to slap him upside the head when his tongue stopped. Her voice was positively throaty and raspy when she said; "If you value your life do not dare and stop now you…"

But she was unable to finish her insult as Robin's mouth shot to her clit once again and her sentence ended on a strangled moan.

He sucked fiercely and brought one of his hands to her soaking folds, plunging two fingers inside her and pumping them in and out to match the vigorousness of his tongue. When her hands left his head Robin stole a glance up and the vision nearly made him stand and fuck her right on that spot. She had her eyes closed, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth and her back slightly arched as each of her hands squeezed her breasts hard. Since she was not wearing anything but the dress Robin could see her erect nipples through the black lace as she pinched them and hissed.

Robin fought his urges, which were not few, and continued to work her up, stealing glances at her coming undone above him. Soon she was thrusting her hips with force onto his face and he met her eagerness, sucking her clit even harder. He added a third finger and bit her nub softly to which she ordered; "Harder."

And he bit harder, three fingers bucking furiously into her eager opening and his other hand squeezing her rear. The Queen was letting out high pitched yelps of "yes!", "faster!" and "_harder_!". These were orders Robin was willing to follow, especially when he was rewarded with louder moans and the feeling of her walls tightening around his fingers.

The Queen's legs began to tremble as her hands returned to their fierce grip on his shoulders, forcing him even deeper into her. Robin held on tight to her arse with one hand, the other frantically plunging in and out of her.

The Queen came with a glorious moan and a very unroyal "_fuck_ yes!"

She held onto his head until her high faded, then her grip on his hair loosened. That was definitely going to ache for a while, but what did Robin care? He had just made the Queen come with his mouth and one hand, and ignoring the fact that his hard member was desperate for release, he could not have been more satisfied. He had made the Queen pine for him, just like he was pining for her, and that brought him immense pleasure.

Robin removed his fingers from her and for a few moments they didn't move, Robin resting his forehead on the Queen's lower belly as they both tried to catch their breaths. As the Queen's breathing finally evened out she cleared her throat and his head shot up so he could meet her eyes. They were still heated, and her facial expression betrayed her satisfaction as a soft, unconscious smile danced around her crimson lips and a soft, red blush had taken residence upon her cheeks. She took a deep breath and addressed him, her royal arrogance returned.

"You can remove your person from me now." She raised an eyebrow and Robin lifted her leg from his shoulder and placed it back on the cold, stone floor. As soon as the skin contact was gone, the Queen was engulfed into a cloud of smoke and when it cleared he could see that her dress had been mended and she was a few inches taller.

Robin stood, quite uncertain of which personality the Queen would throw his way now. She looked at him, her face emotionless, her eyebrow still raised. Her gaze drifted down to his erection – which was almost bursting out of his pants. She hummed and closed the distance between them, letting her hand rest on his abdomen.

"I see you have a little situation here, thief," she teased in a whisper. She brushed her hand lightly over his member which drew a groan from Robin.

"Yes, it seems I do, your majesty." He replied, his voice a little hoarse as her hand lingered and pressed against him harder. "Would you care to help remedy it?" he asked with a smirk.

She gave a mocking laugh, "Now why would I ever do that?" She moved away from him to stand by the door, "Your task was to bring me pleasure, thief, not the order way round." She gave another laugh.

Robin somehow knew he would get a reply like that from her, so he did not let her rash words wound him, knowing if he did there was little chance of her letting him taste her again. And so he merely inquired, "And was it pleasurable enough for you, my queen?"

She huffed, hiding her amusement with an indifferent; "You served your purpose."

Robin saw the smoke appearing about her feet and ordered; "Wait!"

The smoke dissipated and the Queen looked confused and slightly irritated, "What?"

"Could I just ask you something, your majesty?"

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Make it quick."

"What was that thing, in your mirror?" Robin asked.

She had to cover her mouth to suppress her chuckle. "That..." She started, "was the last man I seduced into killing someone for me."

Robin's eyes went wide and wild. What was this? He could not be jealous of a disembodied face. No. Could he? Had that man in the mirror feasted on her as he had just done? Robin felt his chest tighten and his blood rush faster as a ringing sound played in his ear. Why was he feeling jealous? She was not his. And it was doubtful she would ever be.

"Unfortunately for him, he grew far too attached, which led to his current position." She said lightly as if it was a trivial matter that a person was trapped inside a mirror because of her.

"So, you trapped him in a mirror because he got too attached to you?" Robin asked, still slightly shocked.

"He trapped _himself_ in a mirror." She corrected, rather rashly. "I'd learn from his mistakes if I were you."

She winked and smirked as she disappeared into a cloud of smoke, leaving him high and dry, utterly confused and fairly wary. Was it really worth getting in this deep with someone so volatile?

Robin sat down on his creaky bed with a huff, looking down at his erection and sighing with a grin. It was; it was _so _worth it.

**I do hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think! **

**I had a little bit of a hard time writing this at first but I think it came out alright in the end. **

**One thing about my 'original characters' is that they will always be inspired in actual already existing fictional characters. The Captain is quite obviously inspired in the 'old bear' Mormont from Game of Thrones. Billy and Dominic are Pippin and Merry from Lord of the Rings (yes I borrowed the names of the fantastic actors who play them, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monagham).**

**Just a little tease to leave everyone on their toes, next chapter will be from Regina's point of view *winky wink* We'll see what's going on in that little head of hers! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everybody! First of all I'd like to apologize for the delay in updating this. I wanted to publish one chapter per week at least but the whole process takes a lot of work. **

**Again I am truly humbled and very happy with all the response and feedback I've been getting so THANK YOU all so much for reviewing, favoriting and following. **

**I can never thank my gorgeous beta Zoe enough for whipping some magic into my story.**

**And as promised now we have Regina's point of view. I hope you all enjoy it and be prepared for feels ;)**

Regina reappeared in her bed chambers soundlessly, a large grin on her face. She released a satisfied sigh, her whole body still vibrating from the high she had just come down from as she mumbled; "This part of the plan is coming off much more… pleasurable than I had expected."

She felt good. No; more than good; she felt incredible. Regina was reluctant to admit that it was probably the most pleasant time someone had ever done something like that to her; surely Jefferson had been less prickly and gentler. And yet Regina had experienced such a powerful sensation when the archer's mouth was on her, making magic of his own, something she couldn't quite trace back to ever feeling before.

It was electric, spreading itself throughout Regina's entire body, pulsating from every single spot he had touched her. The sensation felt like heaven. And it was sinfully addictive.

Regina found herself craving her next encounter with the outlaw already; meticulously planning what she would have him do, and wondering what, exactly, she was going to give him as a reward.

She headed to her dresser with a pleased smile playing on her recently coloured lips. Regina would never confess that she had added a new coat of red to her smile, nor that she had let down her hair for her little encounter with the outlaw.

Her smile dropped when she looked down at the contents lying on the top of the mahogany piece of furniture in front of her.

She had set aside all the jewels Leopold had given her, planning to get rid of all those pretty chunks of jewellery. The mere sight of those bright pink and sky blue rocks made her sick to her stomach. The man clearly had never truly pondered upon what she might like or what might actually go well with her complexion, no; he had just given her things he knew his first wife would favour. And he unfortunately made her aware of that on the occasions where she would not show sufficient amount of enthusiasm when he had presented her with such gifts.

_Old git!_

As she sat down on the stool by the dresser, she could not help but let out a vile laugh.

_If everything goes to plan I'm having that thief fuck me in Leopold's bed. _

Regina broadly smiled at the idea of the Prince of Thieves himself having his wicked way with her on the King's bed. Revenge was sweet indeed.

That thief though… there was something oddly different about him, and about his touch. Regina had only been touched by a handful of men, but none of them had ever made her feel so...

"Where were you?"

Regina let out a loud gasp as she jumped up from her chair, looking around until she saw the hovering head on the mirror of her dresser looking attentively at her.

"What do you mean, 'pleasurable'? Where were you? I have to know!" He demanded.

Regina's rage built with every one of the former genie's questions. _How dare he?_

She was so enraged and shocked that she could only stare at him, her eyes almost popping out of her head and her hands clutching the ends of the dresser with so much force her knuckles turned white and her nails created crescent shaped indents in the wood.

"I looked for you everywhere and couldn't see you. I had to see you..."

When the man's words took on a sweeter tone and his eyes became pleading and desperate, Regina managed to grasp her wits about herself again as reality came back into focus.

Before she could think about what she was doing, the Queen let out a rage filled scream as she drove her fist towards the reflective surface that housed the haunting head, with as much force as she had behind her. Her fist made contact and pieces of broken glass mingled with the unwanted jewels, the pleading voice fading away.

Regina was tired, worn out. Had she known the price she would have to pay for playing with the affections of that genie, she would have just killed Leopold herself. Now she was haunted by his image day and night and it was driving her to the brick of insanity. He was possessive, jealous and yet overly saccharine and meek, all qualities that Regina despised most.

He was still there, looking at her, his face in every reflective piece of the trashed mirror that now mingled amongst the jewellery she loathed with all her being. Those little pieces of fortune had served more as shackles than adornments; they symbolized her slavery to the dead monarch, and mocked the way her life had been completely deprived of liberty.

_But that was no more._

Regina lifted her hand, palm up, and thought of all the pain and all the hate she felt towards the people that had led her to this life; the King, her mother, Snow...

As the pain and hate consumed her, darkness tinging her already blackening heart, a mighty fireball lit up her palm, the orange flames lighting up her eyes and reflecting off the tears the Queen refused to let fall.

Regina threw the fireball at the table. The raw heat destroying precious gems and shards of mirror alike.

This was her new symbol of freedom.

As she watched the dresser burn down, along with the shattered mirror and the jewellery, she realized for the first time that being the Queen finally meant being in charge. Now she could go wherever she liked, whenever she liked and do whatever she liked. No one was ever going to lock her up, and no one was going to use her ever again. No more was she the beautiful trophy wife. No more was she the sweet and quiet Queen, a pretty decoration the King could show off.

_No more._

Now, she was in charge; she was never going to sneak around to meet with anyone again. Now, she was going to have sex in every single room in that castle without a single trace of worry. Now, she was going to scream her lungs out when she orgasmed. Now, she would use her magic whenever she wanted.

This realization of her finally having a life again brought angry tears to Regina's eyes, and she let out a choked sob that had been waiting almost ten years to be freed.

"DAMN!"

Regina was yet again startled by a bodiless voice.

"No!" She cried as she turned to the full-length mirror that faced her bed, "please just leave me..."

But her words were cut short when her eyes met the image on the mirror.

Instead of the hovering head Regina was expecting, she was met with the sight of the dingy room that she had just poofed herself from.

_The pin!_

She had completely forgotten about the pin. And her enchanted mirror. Ever since that haunting figure had started invading her privacy, Regina searched for any and all spells to keep it at bay. She had finally found one banishing spell which would eliminate every attempt to use the mirror to spy on her.

Unfortunately, magic had many rules, and the main rule for this banishing spell was that the castor could only use the spell once. If it wasn't, Regina would have spent the whole day enchanting every single reflective surface in the castle. But as it happened, she picked out her bedroom mirror, knowing that even when the genie didn't make his presence known, the creep was probably watching her there anyway.

Earlier, when the outlaw's lips had not let her concentrate on anything other than the contrast between soft skin and scratchy stubble, she had created an excuse to go and see him later, quickly enchanting the pin to display every image it faced on her mirror.

The image currently being shown in the mirror was an old battered small table. Although Regina was quite surprised at the addition of a foot – along with a leg – making its way into her field of vision.

Said foot kicked the table hard, making it crumble to the floor, the wood almost disintegrating. The owner let out a loud "SHIT!", followed by quieter; "Damn. Damn her, that fucking tease."

A mischievous grin spread across Regina's face as the thief's words reached her ears. That grin made way for a happy gasp when she realized he was talking about her.

The thief was riled. And it was Regina who had riled him. She had teased him and then promptly left, leaving him high and dry.

_Well, what was I supposed to do? Go down on my knees and suck his cock? _

Although there was a part of Regina who quite fancied the idea of showing the thief that he was not the only one with an incredibly talented mouth, her ego and pride were far too strong to let her give into such desires.

She watched, amused, as he paced the old floorboards, his huffs mixing in with the creaks of aged wood.

Suddenly he stormed towards the door and swung it open violently, racing down the stairs at a speed so fast the image in the mirror was blurred. He then yanked the front door open so hard Regina was amazed it was still on its hinges, the momentum making the door close right behind him with a loud bang.

_Well, someone is a bit frustrated today._

Regina watched in confusion as the outlaw made his way into the woods.

_What the hell is he doing? Where does he think he is going?_

Regina considered just poofing herself in front of him to exchange a few heated words about leaving the headquarters she had ordered him to stay in. But he did not go deep within the forest; he came to a halt next to a small river that crossed the wood. Regina could see the moon was full, hence the view was quite well illuminated.

And the illuminated view was truly, very beautiful, very quiet and very peaceful. The outlaw's feet were only a foot away from the river's edge and Regina could see the moonlight glistening on the ripples of the water. The trees spread out far into the distance, and only the highest towers of her castle could be seen above the dense foliage.

The outlaw sighed. "What the fuck am I getting into?"

Regina could see his arm come into her field of vision and assumed he was rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"Well, someone's got to take care of this…" Robin muttered after letting out a big sigh.

Regina was confused for a heartbeat, but when she heard the unfastening of what could only his belt and the rustling of fabric against his skin, she knew only too well what the outlaw was up to.

There was a soft moan as Robin took himself in hand. And when the faint sound of him pumping his hard member up and down reached Regina's ears, she felt a surge of heat wash through her.

Regina could not help but feel disappointed that the outlaw was still wearing the jacket; whilst she could hear his soft moans and groans, she was unable to see any of the proper action. Her mirror just showed the image of the full moon that wasn't quite so captivating anymore.

The need to watch Robin touch himself was felt more keenly than she would ever let herself admit. And when the thief moaned "ah – your majesty", Regina's desire burned as her stomach clenched, her gaze fixed on the unimportant scenery in her mirror.

"God, I'm going to fuck that fucking teasing royal so hard tomorrow," Robin groaned, "…she won't be able to walk for days."

Regina gasped at his words, a strong jolt of heat flaring between her legs as she felt red invade her cheeks, her grin turning into a smirk. At this point, the thought of poofing herself there was starting to sound more and more appealing. Maybe she could hide amongst the trees, or even use a cloaking spell on herself in order to watch this little display without him ever knowing.

She was pulled away from her musings as she heard his voice curse once more.

"Fucking hot piece of crap."

Regina chuckled, although her amusement faded as she watched a pair of slightly shaky hands grab the sides of the jacket and swiftly remove it.

The thief unceremoniously tossed the jacket on a rock, nearby the shore and close to his feet, pin facing up. Regina's eyes widened and she drew a long, uneven breath, tightly gripping a good amount of her hair with both hands as she moved the strands hindering the view - which had just improved. Immensely.

Regina's perspective had changed from looking straight ahead to looking straight up, but the Queen was not complaining. Quite the opposite in fact.

Now, Regina was granted with the view of the thief's rumpled trousers that had been lowered to his knees, his thick, muscly thighs and his mouth-watering erection. Regina was delighted to note that his manhood was rather thick, and she could not help but fantasise about what it would feel like inside her.

The thief returned to his previous task, grabbing his cock with both hands and sliding them up and down. Many hisses, moans and groans escaped his parted lips when he picked up the pace using only one hand. His eyes squeezed shut and he continued to mutter "Ah, your majesty", "Just you wait your majesty" or "Fuck you, your majesty" and Regina had an overwhelming urge to slide her own hand down to her now wet folds and join the thief in pleasuring herself.

But that would require her attention to be shared, and Regina did not want to flicker her gaze from the image of him coming apart with her title on his lips. She attentively watched as the Outlaw bit his lower lip as he worked his impressive manhood up and down fiercely, adding a slight twist to the end of every stroke.

Regina felt a pang of disappointment when he finally came – her little show being over so soon – but she was delighted to note he let out a half moan half sob that sounded a little bit too much like 'majesty' for anyone to deny it.

He squeezed himself dry and it took him a few moments to catch his breath, blissfully unaware that he was being intensely observed.

Regina was somewhat breathless with what had just transpired, and when her heart rate started to even again, the outlaw managed to shake her structures once more when he bent over.

He reached for his trousers, but instead of pulling them up, he just took them off. He then removed his shirt and in a heartbeat he was in his full naked glory right there in her mirror.

Regina's mouth fell open.

The man was sculptured, of course Regina should have guessed since the man did live in the woods, but all expectations of how he would look like underneath his rags did not live up to the image in front of her.

He was toned and burly, every muscle defined but not overly so, his now bare legs were thick and strong. Every movement he made showcased another yet perfectly toned muscle on his delicious body and Regina felt the urge to lick every inch of his skin. He took a deep breath and Regina watched as the muscles in his stomach expanded and contracted with his every breath. Well, at least one of them had the ability to breathe properly; he took her breath away.

_I could get used to having this kind of imagery around._

Suddenly he was out of her field of vision again and Regina was able to hear the sound of water splashing. He must have dived into the river for a midnight swim.

_How very primitive... How very arousing._

Regina fought the urge of poofing herself to his presence to join him. But that was absurd; she would be giving him all the wrong ideas of how this was going to work if she sought him out for the third time that day.

Regina had thought long and hard about how her life would be once she had gotten rid of the king. And although she had had three lovers right under her dear husband's nose she longed to have someone she could use anytime she wanted. Someone she could trust to some extent and yet someone who could bring her the release her body begged for. Her last time with a man she deemed worthy of her had been almost a month ago and Regina's body ached for that friction and release now.

_That damn thief was not helping._

When her eyes had first met his earlier that day, Regina had felt such a strange pang in her heart that was almost as if someone was actually trying to pull it out. It was one of the strangest things that she had experienced. But she felt the need to be near him, to touch him.

And touch him she had, and every time her finger tips met his skin it sent an indescribable current through her body, that could only translate to one thing; chemistry, raw chemistry.

Regina had been startled at her own words when she had heard herself offer her body as a reward. But the closer they were, the more eager Regina became, and when his lips met her neck she just knew he was the perfect candidate for the post she had found so much difficulty filling.

She had gone to him that night to prove herself wrong. To prove that it was only a momentary thing; it could never be as good as the promise had tasted, and she would not feel anything extraordinary.

_Bloody fool._

He had been both gentle and intense, and the sparks from his touch had nearly driven her insane. And the way he looked at her, as if she was a feast to be devoured and he could never have enough…

Regina was brought back to the image on the mirror when the thief came into her line of vision, her attention immediately focused on his gorgeous body and she imagined her tongue tracing the path of several droplets of water down the hard planes of his torso.

The thief turned, obscuring his glorious front from Regina's view – although her gaze was free to roam his broad shoulders, his muscled back and the perfect curvature of his arse, before he – much to Regina's dismay – started putting his clothes back on.

_Yes, he was going to do just fine._

More than 'fine' actually, this choice could not have been better. He was far too handsome for his own good but his features were not delicate, he had a strong jaw and a lined face. _Perfect_. He had brought her to a wondrous peak of pleasure, and it was undeniable that they had very powerful chemistry between them.

He was Robin Hood and his reputation preceded him, she knew he was the best archer in the land and having one of such right beside her was a wise decision. It just so happened that the thief could give her intensely satisfying orgasms, something which Regina had always highly valued.

When the outlaw was fully dressed, he turned around and pulled on the coat, giving Regina the dull view of the faraway house in the woods. He headed back to the headquarters, then up the stairs with much more leisurely steps than those he had stormed down with. He opened the creaky door to his room and she could hear him sigh heavily.

He moved and sat on the bed, starting to take off his boots. Once those were gone he shrugged off the coat and made it to throw it on the small table before realizing that he had smashed it in his previous frustration.

The thief held onto his coat, looking for somewhere to put it as his gaze flickered from the coat to his room and then to the coat again. His impossibly blue eyes widened and the pin was brought closer to his face, then the image on her mirror suddenly went black, as Regina assumed he had thrown the jacket away from him. Though most of the sounds were muffled she could hear his distinctively accented voice yell; "shit!"

Regina smiled and conjured a small piece of parchment in the palm of her hand, her head tilted to the side as she thought up a suitable message to rile the thief up further. When she had one, the Queen watched as her chosen words appeared in cursive writing. She read the message through and gave a small laugh as the paper disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Regina awoke the next day with her heart beating fast with expectation, and the smell of burned wood in the air.

_Oh, that!_

The dresser, she had almost forgotten.

It was no more; the only thing remaining in its place was a large pile of ash. Regina waved her hand at the mess and a beautiful dark wood dresser appeared in front of her. It was filled with _her_ jewellery, some of what she had brought from home and others she had taken for herself from the royal collection. There was no mirror in this dresser; Regina planned on having this whole genie business dealt with as soon as she held Snow's heart in her grasp.

An overwhelming feeling washed through her body as Regina realized today was the day her vengeance would finally be complete and Daniel's death finally avenged.

"Oh Daniel," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed for a short moment as memories of dark hair, blue eyes and a kind smile flashed before her.

She reached out for her engagement ring that she kept hidden in a box on her nightstand and put it on her finger, preparing for the day ahead.

After she had bathed, she pulled on a dark dress she had worn in Leopold's service to play the grieving widow for one last time. With her hair perfectly pinned above her head, she exited her chambers to the dining hall to share one last meal with her insufferable stepdaughter.

Snow was sat at the table wearing – to Regina's utter surprise – white. A pretty white frock; innocent ivory. Regina had to hold back a laugh; pretty soon that dress would gain a new colour.

"Good morning, Regina," Snow said sadly.

"Good morning, my dear," Regina forced out for the last time. These were the last warm smiles she would have to fake for this girl. Regina could not resist but add; "no black today Snow?"

The girl looked up at her as Regina came to rest her hands on her stepdaughter's shoulders for a brief moment, holding back every urge to snap her neck, before she seated herself a few chairs away.

"My father wouldn't have wanted for me to wear such a colour for so long." Snow looked down at her plate, her expression and posture similar to that of a tiny, tiny bird. She knew how the play the innocent card only too well, but Regina knew better. "I find white suits me better, and so I've decided to mourn in it."

_How sickening._

"Very well, my dear. You do what you feel is best." Regina said as she forced out a sincere smile.

"Thank you, Regina." Snow stood, brushing down the creases in her pretty, white dress as she added, "I have just finished breaking my fast, I'm sorry I did not wait for you; I wanted to visit my father's grave early today."

"I understand. There is no trouble Snow." Regina replied.

Joanna, Snow's insufferable sidekick, chose that very moment to enter the hall. She was a short, middle-aged servant that made it her life's purpose to attend to Snow's every need.

"Shall we go, your highness?" she questioned, looking at Snow.

"Yes, Joanna." Snow headed towards other woman, and when the pair reached the doors Snow turned around and added; "I won't be long. I will be back in time to eat lunch with you."

_Wanna bet? _

"Oh, thank you dear. But don't rush yourself on my account, spend as much time by your father as you desire." 'You will soon be joining him soon enough', she wanted to add, but instead just smiled one last fabricated show of teeth to the girl who had ripped her happiness from her.

The pair left and Regina managed to control herself for almost a full minute before she released the laugh bubbling up inside her.

The Queen nibbled on some sweet bread and drank a little tea, but the anticipation was eating her alive. She quickly went back to her bedchambers to see her plan unfold.

After ensuring her door was locked, she turned to the full-length mirror and waved her hand, her reflection fading away as the green forest came into her view. Although from the perspective on the path and trees, the outlaw was not on ground level, images of the thief high up a tree, resting against the trunk, made their way into Regina's mind. She had a very clear view of the forest track, and from his even breaths and the stillness of the image in her mirror, it was likely the thief was not even moving a muscle.

Suddenly, there was the sound of faint voices, and both Regina and the outlaw's breathing quickened. As the voices approached she saw his arms reach out for his bow.

She could see the pair now, the short fat servant and the 'innocent' princess walking hand in hand conversing, blissfully unaware of the events about to unfold.

Regina saw the arrow being placed soundlessly in the bow as the pair approached the tree the thief was hiding in. The outlaw pulled the string taut and waited for a moment that felt like hours.

Then he released.

Regina could have sworn she saw the journey the arrow made in slow motion, from the outlaw's bow, flying through the forest air until it landed in the elder lady's chest, right were her heart rested.

"Joanna!" Snow screamed, falling to her knees beside her lifelong friend.

The outlaw watched, unmoving, as Snow's hands flailed, unsure as to where to put them in her blind panic as a deep red spread from the arrow embedded in her friend's chest..

Snow hugged Joanna's body to her and cradled her head, rocking backwards and forwards with choppy breaths.

"Joanna! No!"

The young girl cried and cried as the old woman drew her last breaths, pleading with her to 'just stay alive'.

Regina watched as Joanna placed a shaky hand on Snow's cheek.

Snow took that hand into her own and squeezed, letting hot tears trail down her cheeks.

The outlaw had still not moved.

When the older woman's eyes went dull and her hand slipped from Snow's grasp, Regina knew that the first part of her problem was already solved. As if on cue the outlaw hopped impossibly fast from the tree, landing expertly right in front of the distressed girl.

She heard Snow let out a loud gasp as her gaze flickered from the thief's face to his bow.

"Why have you done this?" she asked, her voice raised and uneven as tears still streamed down her cheeks. "She was a good and loyal friend. Never harmed anyone."

"If you were to live another day, girl, I would advise you that goodness and loyalty are customs utilized only by fools." The outlaw's heavily accented voice coldly warned her.

Snow's eyes widened at his words as she gasped clutching the dead woman's body closer to hers.

"You are going to kill me." She stated in a small voice, presumably trying to draw some pity out of the man.

_Foolish girl._

"Yes I am," he confirmed, drawing the freshly sharped knife Regina had given him from his belt and taking cautious yet certain steps towards her.

Snow looked at him, eyes wide, terror spread over her _lovely_ features.

Just as he was about to pounce, the brat grabbed a rock that sat nearby her and blindly threw it in his direction, hitting him on the chest on the exact spot were the pin rested.

The images on the mirror disappeared, now Regina could only hear the outlaw's raged filled shout and the scuffling of dirt, no doubt the girl trying to escape. A loud groan that could only belong to the outlaw reached Regina's ears, and the sound of something being dragged along the floor and Snow's panic filled screams assured Regina the girl had not been able to escape, regardless of her pathetic attempt.

Regina heard Snow's screams of "no!" and "leave me alone!" and enjoyed the scene far too much to say that she could not even watch it unfold.

Another plea of "Please don't do this!" reached Regina's ears, desperation turning the girl's airy voice into a shrill mixture of crying and screaming.

"Shut up, you annoying, little girl!" she heard the outlaw roar before there was a muffled scream.

Then Regina heard it. The soft sound of the knife's blade digging into flesh. It was followed by the highest pitched scream she had ever heard and a heavy breath being drawn by the outlaw.

Then silence.

The pin's magic having worn off completely but Regina smiled as she waved her hand over the mirror once more, looking at her own reflection.

She had done it.

She had won.

**TAM DAM DAM DAM!**

**What the hell just happened, hun? It was pretty painful writing that last bit but, helas, stuff's gotta go down so the story can move forward. **

**Again your opinions and ideas are highly valued so please let me know what you think!**

**We're going back to Robin's head in the next chapter and finding out what exactly was written in that piece of paper so stay tuned ;)**

**Ps; I love to drop in actual lines from the show in this fic. I also love giving Robin some of Regina's lines.**

**Ps2; oh my world has anybody read the spoilers from last night yet? I freaked! Sunday is gonna be epic!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody! **

**It is now 5:20 in the morning and I just got back from a crazy clubbing night but I am here to give you the new chapter, finally. I could not wait until tomorrow!**

**First and foremost I would like to give a huuuge apology to you all for taking so long to update. Sorry, sorry, sorry! But with my crazy schedule combined with my beta's crazy schedule makes things tricky.**

**But I must say I was so utterly delighted with all the response I got to the last chapter. I was rather afraid of putting it out there (as I am in this one as well) but I found it most exhilarating that everybody had a passionate say about what they thought/hoped actually happened. So THANK YOU so much for reviewing, following and favoriting it really means a lot to me and I always do a happy dance when I get a notification email :)**

**As always a huuuge thank you to my lovely beta Zoe without whom this story would have never seen the light of day.**

**And now it's back to the outlaw's head! ;) **

Robin stared at the small, red pin, horrified, his eyes widening as he remembered why, exactly, he had it pinned to his jacket, and by whom.

"Shit!"

As an instant reflex, he threw the jacket on the floor, making sure the pin would be facing down as it landed.

_God, could she have actually seen _everything _that just happened?_

It was not a question of decency or modesty; Robin was not ashamed of his body, nor had he any reservations as to baring it. Not at all. Quite the opposite; he knew that his looks and charm combined had got his bed sheets warm for many a night. But the words that had left his mouth had not been the most flattering, especially when he had been referring to the Queen.

As if on cue, a small cloud of smoke appeared on his pillow, and when it dissipated, Robin could see a small piece of parchment resting against it.

Rather reluctantly, he reached out for the small paper as if it were on fire, and there was a part of Robin that was pretty sure it _was_ going to set itself on fire as soon as he touched it.

But as his fingers came in contact with the paper it did not combust.

Robin took it carefully and read the words that had been written in a beautiful cursive handwriting.

_If you are ever fortunate enough to 'have me', _you_ will be the one not walking for days thief._

_Lord above she had heard him_.

Robin stared at the piece of paper once more, re reading it twice again until he noticed there was something scribbled on the other side. The same handwriting, but there were only two words. Two words that had even more of an effect on him than the last message.

_Nice ass. _

Robin's eyes widened slightly and a grin started playing on the corner of his lips. That woman was truly unique; any other woman in her position would have taken great offence at what he had uttered. But not her. No, she had found it amusing.

_Bloody minx._

Robin closed his eyes and let a small laugh escape his lips as he stored the piece of parchment in his trousers' back pocket.

He went to bed that day feeling lighter than he had felt in a very long time. Which struck him as odd, since had been having heart palpitations throughout the day thanks to indecent thoughts and actions of the Queen, add in the fact that he was about to commit murder the very next day and it had all the makings of a full blown heart attack. Nevertheless, when sleep finally came to him, the final thing he saw were red lips, and he felt his own twitch into a smirk.

The next day, Robin arose with the sun, and for a few brief seconds he wondered if the whole business of the seductive Queen and his order to kill had been nothing but a dream. But as he became aware of the softness of where he lay and of the absence of the earthy smell of the woods, he knew it had _all_ been true.

He was to assassinate two people. And bed the Queen as a reward.

How had he come to this?

He had once been a man of honour, someone who would seek to annihilate the person he had become. But now light and colour had been taken out of his life, Robin could understand how easy it was to lose oneself in the midst of darkness. He could see how easy it was to drown regret with whatever filled that gaping chasm where one's light should reside.

Robin had come too far to go back to the person he had once been; he had taken lives for the mere selfish reason of feeling alive, but feeling numb. It was quite a unique sensation; it felt like everything and nothing. It was power; he wasn't able to prevent his wife and child dying, innocent people from being ripped away from him, but those who were lesser people and stupid enough to try and fight him… they were fair game. It had been the perfect antidote for his sorrow. But the price for that medicine had been his heart, for it grew darker and darker with each passing day.

He could do it. He knew that with utmost certainty. He could cold bloodedly kill the princess and whoever was unfortunate enough to accompany her. He looked forward to feeling that rush of the kill. It had been a while since he had last taken a life, and now he knew the inevitable murder of two targets was looming, he was craving the hit that accompanied the knowledge that, because of him, there was one less person in the world – or in this case, two.

But now he had one other sensation that rivalled his blood lust; the shot of desire and hunger whenever his skin came in contact with the Queen's. What an inexplicable rush and such an intense pull. It very dangerous, and extremely addictive.

_Today was going to be a great day._ He concluded

He went downstairs to break his fast and to his utter annoyance, Billy and Dominic sat at the table in the common room. They had brought some bread from the nearby village they lived in as a welcome gift for him. And although Robin still felt the urge to simultaneously snap their necks, he could not help but feel a little grateful.

As he sat eating he pondered upon just how he was going to make his kill today. The possibilities were endless, even with the Queen's demands. One swift one shot for the companion, and a painful and bloody end for the princess, that resulted in her heart being part of the Queen's collection. He had never held a heart in his grasp, _wonder what it feels like_.

Well… in a few hours he would know just that.

After saying his much awaited goodbyes to his 'patrol brothers' (that's how the boys insisted on addressing each other, and unfortunately, he had now been included in yet another 'band of brothers' and it was the last thing he needed) Robin made his way to the East side of the small forest. On his way, he picked up his bow and arrows, which he had concealed in the hollow of a tree after 'relieving' himself. The memory of which – and the note – drawing a small smirk onto his lips.

He tracked the whole East road that came to an end in the King's final resting place. It was a grand thing for a mausoleum; the size of a house, all in white marble, and all to house but one person.

This had been one of the reasons why Robin had turned against nobility a long time ago; they would build extravagant buildings such as this, and what for? So it could house _one_ dead person, when it could have accommodated an entire living and breathing family. It was outrageous.

Robin took a deep breath and set his prejudice aside. He hadn't felt that much resentment towards the wrong doings of nobles in a really long time, and now, of all times – when he was doing the bidding of one – was not the best time to relieve those feelings.

Clearing up his mind and taking another deep breath, Robin started to scan the surroundings, making sure there was no one around. Not a soul. Perfect.

As he made his way back, he analysed the trees, and the twists and turns of the road so he could find the perfect vantage point that gave him a clear view of the path and kept him hidden from prying eyes. It was not long before he found an old, grand tree, with long thick branches filled with leaves to the brim. Robin climbed quickly and came to rest on a concealed branch about 20 feet from the ground. He carefully stored his bow right beside him as he positioned himself on the sturdy bough.

He could see the path clearly from above, and a fairly good portion of it.

The bratty princess would not catch him by surprise; he would be able to see her come a good deal of time before she approached his tree. Robin took a deep breath and waited, almost immobile.

It did not take long for him to start hearing high-pitched voices that could only belong to women. Robin squinted and was able to make out two figures walking his way, hand in hand, in the distance. His heart started beating faster in his chest as the adrenaline and thrill of the whole affair took over. But he remained stationary; he was not one to let his feelings take a hold of his actions, not in this kind of situation, plus it was not as if he had not done this before. Even though it felt as if his heart was pounding venom through his veins, he was able to remain invisible.

They came closer and Robin was able to inspect the two females. One was short, old and fat, and was wearing servant's clothes, a chaperone perhaps. Robin wondered why the princess was not in the company of a knight, but then he reminded himself, he was the one who was supposed to protect the little royal.

_Tough luck, little princess_

But the girl was not little at all, she was, to Robin's surprise, all grown up. The way the Queen had referred to her he had imagined she would be but a girl, but his eyes met a young woman, not a day older than his annoying 'patrol brothers'. She wore a white frock that somehow felt all wrong for the occasion, not regal enough, nor mournful at all.

Both talked amicably, blessedly ignorant of the fate that awaited them.

Robin did not feel a drop of pity for the pair, his heart had shrivelled and darkened too much for him to care for the fate of people he did not even know. Even if their fate was terrible. Which Robin knew it was going to be; he was there to ensure that.

As the pair approached, Robin reached ever so slowly for his bow, never taking his trained eyes away from them. His fingers came into contact with the wood and he brought the bow to position gently, making sure not to snap a twig.

They were close now, Robin second naturedly grabbed an arrow from his quiver and placed it to the bow. He pulled the string masterfully, watching the pair with hunter's eyes as he aimed effortlessly to the pulsating organ in the old woman's chest and inhaled. Upon a slow and deep exhaled, the arrow flew from his grasp and hit the elder lady square in the chest where her heart lay.

The arrow hit the woman with such force that she lost her balance and fell back. And when the young woman realised that her friend was no longer strolling by her side but bleeding on the floor, she screamed.

"Joanna!"

The girl sank to her knees next to where the other woman had fallen, and sobbed. She looked utterly helpless as she fumbled with her hands, reaching out for the elder woman, unsure of what to do. She eventually took her by the shoulders and brought her head to rest on her legs as she cradled her dying friend.

"Joanna! _No_!"

Robin did not move. The Queen had instructed that the girl should watch her friend perish before he was to show himself. So Robin waited ever so patiently for the old bag to draw her last breath. The elder woman made unintelligible noises as the young one pleaded for her to 'just stay alive', in between assurances of; 'help will come soon, you will be fine'. He observed as the older lady shook her head knowing she was bound to die. She then brought her hand to her chest before cupping the girl's cheek, whispering words Robin could not make out from that distance.

The tears that rolled down the girl's face came to rest on the dying woman as she took the hand that cupped her cheek into her own, squeezing it. The elder woman's lips moved once again but Robin could just make out that she would never be able to finish her sentence. Life drained from her eyes and the hand that held onto the girl's hand turned limp, slipping from its grasp.

Robin jumped out of the branch and into the girl's view in a heartbeat.

_One down. One to go._

The girl looked up at him, utter fear shining in her big, expressive eyes.

She gasped when she saw the bow, and added two and two together.

"Why have you done this?" she asked him with a shaky voice, still clutching the dead woman's body. "She was a good and loyal friend. Never harmed anyone."

"If you were to live another day girl, I would advise you that goodness and loyalty are customs utilized only by fools." He uttered, his tone flat and void of anything.

As the girl realized she was to be re-joining the friend she held onto tightly quite soon, her eyes grew wide as the little colour that had been left in her face drained away.

"You are going to kill me." she stated in half a whisper twisting her features into a pitiful look.

Robin had to hold back a laugh in the girl's pitiful attempt to move him. She clearly did not know with whom she was dealing.

"Yes, I am."

And with those words, Robin felt he had exchanged far too much with his prey, and so he drew a knife from his belt.

The weapon was a fine thing, simple, not something that Robin would imagine belonged to a royal, but it was light and swift and it fit his grip perfectly. The Queen made it very clear in their first encounter that he was to use it to kill the princess and then return it to her. It had oncebelonged someone the princess had wronged, she had told him.

Conversation was over and he had a job to finish, so taking measured steps, Robin approached the young woman with blade in hand and hard glint in his eyes. The Princess could do nothing but stare back at him, shock and terror clear on her face.

Robin halted and shifted his weight to his back leg, preparing to pounce at the girl. But that manoeuvre was all it took for the damned girl to grab a rock that had been resting near her and throw it in Robin's direction. The sodding thing hit him square in the chest, right where the pin rested, making its sharp end dig into Robin's skin. As he looked down to inspect the place he had been hit, the girl started to try and make her escape.

_Not today, little one._

Robin pounced so violently he managed to draw some blood curdling screams from the petite royal. She tried to protect herself using the dead body of her old friend as a shield, hiding behind the woman's frame in an attempt to buy herself some time.

_So much respect for the loyal and good friend._

Robin was now on his knees on the forest floor, grabbing the dead, heavy body that had been thrown his way, and shoving it to the side like it weighed next to nothing. The girl started to hastily crawl on all fours away from him, but he was far too quick to let her escape. With a loud groan Robin grabbed the girl by both her ankles and pulled her in his direction in one swift move. She tried to kick him but his grasp was too strong for her to succeed in moving her lower limbs, the only things she actually did succeed in doing were riling the man currently trying to kill her, and making her ankles sore from the tightening grip.

As he dragged her along the dirt she screamed, thrashing and digging her nails into the ground, leaving long striations behind her.

He pulled her until her legs were between his, and he drew his knees together so he could trap her beneath him.

"Leave me alone!" he heard her scream, as he ensured she could not move her legs.

Ignoring her pathetic pleas he turned her torso half way around on her left side so he could get a nice shot on her heart.

"_No_!" she screamed, still crying, "Please don't do this!"

She fumbled with her hands trying to hit him, but even at her full strength, her blows could do nothing. It would have had more of an effect if she had tickled him.

"Shut up, you annoying, little girl!" he bellowed as he clasped his free hand onto her mouth, muffling her screams.

He lifted his right hand, in which held the sharpened knife, ready to seal the deal. He looked straight into his target and lunged as the girl's eyes grew impossibly wide.

Robin cursed as the slippery shit was able to move at the very last second and his mortal strike didn't hit its mark. The knife was plunged into her flesh quite deeply, but since she had managed to move, it had landed on her shoulder.

The metallic scent of blood and the most horrid scream he had ever heard hit Robin's senses.

Red dripped from the princess' shoulder, blood staining the once pristine dress as Robin reached out and pulled the blade from her shoulder, making her screech once again.

He was infuriated, and the darkest piece of his soul took control. At the sight of her eyes widening, presumably to try and sway him from his task by playing the naïve, pretty princess, he scraped the iron on her cheek in order to defect her innocent beauty. Her hands immediately shot to her face as she let out a whiny cry. The strike had not been very deep, but Robin made sure it was profound enough for it to scar. Not that it was ever going to scar, since she was to die. But his vision and reason were fogged with rage.

It was a matter of seconds, but if Robin was asked to recollect this moment, he would see the whole scene play out slowly in front of him. He saw her hand, bloody, with traces of glass and a fine powder over her palm. He saw her opening her palm near his face, and realising her plan to get away, he lunged at her with the knife once again.

But the princess was just that little bit quicker, and blew the contents of her hand into his face.

Robin's connection with reality grew cloudy and distant. He could see the blade still travelling through the air, but his gaze was unfocused and he was unsure as to where the knife landed.

His last coherent thoughts being _damned poppies _and _the Queen is going to kill me!_

And then…

Black.

Robin took a deep breath as he awoke from his haze, inhaling a good amount of dirt as he did so. He was sleeping on the forest floor again.

_Had it all really been a dream after all?_

He coughed as the powder invaded his body and his eyes shot open. He quickly realized that it was all too real. He was lying on the forest floor on his stomach, hand still clutching the knife the Queen had given him fiercely. The blade was dug into the floor and he could see a torn piece of white fabric trapped where the blade met the ground.

He looked up at the sky, the sun still rested west which made him believe he might have been out for an hour at most. _Not too long then._

As he dropped his gaze, he was able to see the body of the woman he had killed. Stout, round, timeworn and not royal at all. He quickly got to his knees and desperately looked around the road, but there was no sign of another body.

_No! The damned girl had ran away._

Robin felt fury work its way through his whole body as he withdrew the blade from the ground. He was livid. He could not believe he had been knocked out by something as trivial as poppies! He should have seen it coming. But how could he? For all he knew, royals like her did not even know that such a plant existed.

He turned his gaze to the dead woman lying beside him and realization hit him, the moments before and after his kill-shot playing in his mind.

_Her._

The old woman. Was she a chambermaid? A guardian? She had been gentle to the girl, far too gentle, almost a motherly touch, probably knew her since she was a babe. She had walked hand in hand with the girl. She had not left the girl's sight from the moment the king was announced dead. She had seen this attack coming.

_DAMN HER!_

She must have handed the damned girl the poppies as she lay dying. Robin could hazily recall her hand clutching the princess' before it became limp. It was _her_ fault. It was her fault that he had lost his prey. It was her fault that he had lost his consciousness. It was her fault that he had lost his reward.

Robin let out an anger-filled scream, and before he could give any second thought, he pounced at the dead body, stabbing it like a mad man. The feel of the blade that already felt like a second skin to him entering the old woman's flesh did very little to help satiate his rage.

Red… _red_. Red was all he saw as he pierced the limp helpless body. Red that been a new addition to his sight as he came to rest his eyes on the Queen for the first time. The Queen who had offered herself as a reward for him to make this kill. The Queen who was going to have his head for letting her prey escape.

Thinking about how he was never going to feel the Queen's soft and electrifying skin on his ever again infuriated Robin even more. He plunged manically with the knife until he felt his arms stiffen due to the force with which he was stabbing her. Fatigue finally taking over.

He pulled the blade out for the very last time and for a moment examined what he had done. He had stabbed the lifeless body in her whole torso and now there was blood everywhere, his vision a pool of crimson.

The old woman's blood covered his hands, the fresh, sticky substance coating the dried layer left behind by the stupid, little princess.

_He had injured the princess_, he recalled; he had dug the blade fiercely into her shoulder. And soon after she had blown powdered poppies into his face, and the last thing he remembered was trying to have another go at stabbing her. His aim had been clearly damaged by the dust as the only thing that remained was a piece of her dress, and not her lifeless body.

But alas, she had left something far more precious than a strip of cotton behind.

_A trail_.

As Robin thoroughly examined the ground he could see just where the girl had dragged herself from. The dirt on the ground was moved in the shape of her body, her hands, her heels and there was a clear blood trail to be followed.

Robin was up in milliseconds, forgetting all about the now mangled body lying at his feet and focusing on finding the girl. He had to kill her. That was what he was supposed to do, that was what he had woken up for. His mission, however horrid it was, blinded all his sentiments.

The bloody trail would lead him to her, of that he was certain.

He would find her. And he would kill her. Because that was what he had set out to do.

Robin was only granted a few steps in the trail's direction before numerous quick footsteps reached his ears. The traces of poppy dust still in his system hindered his ability to think quick enough to conceal himself before being seen, and the various shouts of "Oi!" and "Halt!" could be heard from the palace guards behind him.

So he ran.

He swiftly grabbed his bow and the knife, and he ran.

He had never run so quickly in his entire life, but Robin was far too aware of what the scene he found himself in looked like to try to ponder upon a reasonable explanation.

As he made his hasty way through the trees he could spot arrows being shot his way and he could not help but think how utterly humiliating it would be if he was actually hit by one; 'a skilled marksman being taken down by an arrow', the thought was ridiculous and the irony was not lost on him. Robin's legs ached, a mixture of the dizzying rage and the damned poppies.

When he reached the King's mausoleum, he knew he was done for; there were several knights standing around the building, looking perplexed and wary. Behind them, Robin could see a trace of blood on one of the white walls of the house. His trail. He needed to follow it, he wanted to follow it but he was quickly seized by the black clad soldiers who screamed various insults his way.

There were three men restraining his movements, but all of his attempts to free himself came to a halt when he felt a cold, sharp blade on his neck.

"You will pay for this, scum." The man who held the iron to his flesh spat.

Robin kept his mouth shut and his expression unreadable, even as the man's fist came in contact with his stomach with untamed force. Although the Queen had not given him instructions as to what to do in this situation, Robin figured it was best not to reveal to her soldiers that he had been acting on _her_ orders.

As the guards conversed with one another, Robin was able to discern that the man who held the blade to his neck had been captain of the King's guard. He, along with several other soldiers, had taken the western route of the forest to pay their respects to the King. When they came across the bloody marks on the mausoleum walls they had become alarmed and had sent out a couple of men to inspect the east path.

Men that were now reporting back to the castle with what they had found; the body of one of the most beloved servants in such a state it brought tears to one young soldier's eyes.

_If this is how the royal guard reacts to violence_, Robin mused, _it is no wonder the King is dead_.

Robin was relieved to overhear they had not yet found the princess.

He found himself being dragged to the castle by royal knights for the second time in less than twenty four hours. He wondered if they would try to question him, or if they would just torture him. And more importantly, he wondered to whom they were taking him.

Robin's silent ponderings were answered as the guards ushered him through a pair of familiar doors. They came into a halt near the door, a man on each side restraining his arms and the captain of the guard stood slightly ahead of them.

The sight that met his eyes was completely alien; it was the very same room he had been in before, with the very same chaise longue and the mirror frame that lacked a reflective surface, and yet everything was… dark. Even the walls seemed to have taken a completely different colour, a darker and gloomier one.

And _she_ was there. Even with her back turned to him clad all in black looking at the crackling fire, he knew it was _her_ who occupied the room.

Her hair was pinned up, her hands were on her hips, her corseted back expanded with each deep breath she took.

"Your majesty…" the captain of the guard started with such a timid voice Robin had to wonder if it was the same man that had punched and threatened him numerous times on the way back.

The Queen did not reply, did not even move; she simply huffed for the man to continue.

"We found this man fleeing from the sight were the princess' maid's body was found." He could hear the Queen click her tongue as the captain took a shaky breath and continued; "He tried to escape but my men seized him by the King's tomb."

She huffed again.

"If I, if I may your majesty…" he stuttered "It is clear he is responsible, he is drenched in blood and we apprehended a knife and a bow from him, which were clearly used in…"

"Enough!" the Queen finally bellowed and all men tensed, the captain's mouth snapped shut.

"Leave us." She ordered harshly, with her back still turned to the men.

"Your majesty, surely it is not wise to…" the captain tried but was once again was interrupted.

Her head snapped to the side as she looked ferociously over her shoulder, sending a poisonous glare that had all men unconsciously stepping back a pace.

"I said '_leave us'_!_ Now_!" Her glare eased as she raised an eyebrow and her voice lowered, "and leave behind his weapons; I know just what to do with them."

The guards quickly let go of Robin's arms, and he saw the captain lay his bow, quiver and the knife on a small table near her chaise longue. After bowing to the Queen they hastily exited without another word. Probably thanking their lucky stars they were not in the outlaw's skin.

Robin was fucked. He knew that much. She was probably going to kill him in the most painful and merciless way imaginable. Not only had he failed his mission, but he had let the princess escape.

When the doors of the room closed behind him with a loud bang, Robin swallowed as she turned around.

_Gods_ she was perfect. Even with furious, mad eyes, the black paint outlining them slightly smeared, some sweat droplets resting on her forehead and lips still red but not all due to paint. A couple of locks of her long hair had escaped her up do and framed her livid face.

Her chest was heaving, and Robin's eyes feasted on the way her full breasts almost spilled out of her corset, the black material tightly hugging her waist. Her hands gripped her sides with vigour.

She was not wearing a dress as he had previously thought but rather a cape that had a big opening starting just below her navel to reveal she was wearing, oh Gods above, _leather pants._ Tight, clingy, black leather pants and leather high-heeled boots.

If he had not been sure that her next move was murdering him, he would have been extremely aroused. Robin found it alarming when it hit him that his lower body was being rather responsive to the view, regardless of the circumstances. Or was it _because_ of the circumstances? Robin could not say. He was snapped out of his momentary haze by her wrathful words,

"Well, well... What do we have here?"

**Oh Robin is in deep shit! And yeah, Snow didn't die, but she is real hurt but it wasn't for lack of effort on Robin's part. Next chapter we go back to Regina's crazy mind!**

**Please let me know what you think, if you liked it or not. Let me know what you might think will happen or what you thought had happened between Robin and Snow, I love reading theories!**

**The funny thing about this was that there was an alarming amount of people who wanted Snow dead and another who wanted Robin to spare her and neither of those things actually happened. **

**I couldn't leave without mentioning that I made my mum lie down on the floor and play Snow because I wanted to know the exact angles that I was describing in the 'almost murder' scene. We played out the scene and she said she even felt the knife, my mum, the drama queen. So thanks mum, you rock!**

**And as I promised on Tumblr, as a gift to everybody who has been more than patient waiting for an update here comes a bit of a spoiler. I plan on writing a lot for this story, so ready yourselves for several more tens of chapters. Some of those chapters are going to be flashbacks and they will show the other man Regina slept with. Regina mentions that she had three lovers right under her husband's nose and I'm pretty sure I already mentioned one, but can you guess the other two? One is from the show and other I made up. Please let me hear your guesses!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody!**

**I asked my lovely beta to have this chapter ready by Monday because I knew we would be getting so many OQ feels from last night's episode and I felt the fandom deserved some smut.**

**Again thank you all so much for the reviews and for following and favoriting the story, I'm so so glad so many people like it!**

**And also this story would have never been possible without the help of my dear Zoe! Thank you darling!**

**Let's get down to it then!**

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

He looked awful. Downright disgusting. He had blood stains smeared on most of the cloth of his donated attire, his hands were vibrant red and there were several droplets of blood mixed with dirt on his face. He looked out of breath, and that infuriated Regina more than anything else did.

"So, you were trying to run away, huh?" she said, her eyes widening dangerously.

"When your guards started making pathetic attempts to shoot me I had very little choice, your majesty," he snapped slightly, looking at her gravely, knowing that _that_ was not the main problem at hand.

She huffed and looked at him, head to toe. Though this time was quite different from the last; instead of admiring his physique and observing places she could sink her teeth into, she was merely searching for where he could have hidden the girl's heart.

Because Snow White _had_ to be dead. She had heard her scream, she had heard the blade plunge into flesh, there was no way she could be alive…

_Are you sure about that dearie?_ A small voice mocked at the back of her mind.

"My guards report to me they have found the maid's body." She said coldly, looking back in his eyes.

When the guards had banged loudly on her door not an hour prior, Regina felt excitement pooling in the pit of her stomach. She had been drinking from her third glass of celebratory wine, fully intending on going onto the fourth. She had also changed into a more fitting pair of black, leather pants and leather boots. Garments she always had favored but could never wear in the castle; she had been told they were only for when she ventured out. But now everything was under her rule, she could wear nothing for all she cared.

When she had swung the door open wearing a big smile on her face, the guards had looked perplexed. They had told her they came bearing 'awful news', to which she had tried to pretend to be concerned about; these were still her late husband's men after all.

She had led them into her chambers to give her a full report, sipping from her wine chalice to hide her smirk when they started describing what they had seen.

She had put her hand over her heart upon hearing that they had found Joanna dead, Regina's face twisting in an expression of false care. Her expression, however, became of real shock when the guards explained that not only had she an arrow struck through her heart, but she had also been stabbed almost 30 times in her torso.

She had asked them – faked, motherly concern flowing from her lips – of Snow's whereabouts.

But when the response that reached her ears was that the princess was nowhere to be found, and that she had 'thankfully escaped from the maniac that had killed her friend', Regina's mask fell. The crystal chalice she held broke between her fingers as her rage spread throughout her entire being. Her jaw clenched, the vein in her forehead throbbed and she couldn't help herself releasing an enraged yell of "_What_?"

The guards had looked confused and alarmed and they inquired if she was feeling well. She did not even bother to respond, both hands shooting up and lifting both guards from the ground with her ire-filled magic. She tightened the grip on them as she strangled both.

After a little less than a minute of watching their struggling, both of them clawing at their necks to try and remove the invisible force constricting their airflow, she grew annoyed with their helpless grunts of 'have mercy' and 'please your majesty' and let them go. They scampered like rats out of her room and she bellowed after them; "Find me Snow White, dead or alive, and bring her to me… or you will rue the day you were born!"

Now, standing with the person she had procured to kill the insipid girl in front of her, Regina felt like she was ready to burst. But she had to hear the exact outcome from the outlaw's lips, and she would not act until she knew what happened. She had heard the screeching and screaming. A deadly scream that could only have belonged to Snow. Regina cursed the girl for having damaged her pin.

When the thief did not reply to her questioning, something in Regina snapped, and almost immediately she knew something had gone wrong.

_If that brat was still alive…_

As she narrowed her eyes she stalked in his direction quickly and in a heartbeat her hand was gripping his neck _hard_, letting her nails sink deep. He hissed through clenched teeth, but Regina found she could not care less, even if she still felt the strange buzz on her hand where she touched him.

"Think very carefully about how you respond to this question, _thief_" she roared. Because of the high heels she was almost his height, which helped her hiss her next words into his ear without having to lean against his frame; "Did you kill her?"

She could hear his strangled response as she stared intently at the damage her nails were making to his neck. "No."

Regina's head felt like it had imploded and exploded at the same time upon hearing the outlaw's response. As rage took over her body she met the outlaw's gaze, let out a livid scream, and squeezed his neck even harder, drawing blood with her nails. The outlaw let out a pained groan but did not budge or try to free himself from her grasp.

_Looks like that little girl still got the best out of you, again_, that small voice sang.

Regina saw red.

She could feel her very soul ignite as she used her magic to throw him back violently into her chaise longue. The impact was so strong that it broke when the outlaw landed on it. Rage took over, she magically lifted a vase that had housed mourning roses only one day ago, and threw it in the outlaw's direction. The object did not hit its target, but rather came to its crashing demise on the wall dangerously close to the thief's head by the fireplace.

Regina saw the fire and instantly summoned flames to her hands pacing towards the outlaw, madness dancing in her eyes. But when she was about five feet from her target she paused to look at him. Something was off.

Any other person would have been begging for forgiveness and grovelling for mercy at this point, or at least wincing in pain. But the outlaw gave nothing away, his expression blank as he got up from the shambled remnants of her chaise and met her eyes. There was blood dripping from the injuries she had caused on his neck, and a wound on the left side of his forehead that had no doubt been caused on the account of her outburst with her vase.

And yet he did not wince or flinch at the sight of his imminent demise that lay in her hands. He was ready to die. She could see it in his eyes. Regina could remember very clearly when she had the same emptiness inside her own eyes. After Daniel had been taken away from her, Regina had wanted to die. That night, after her mother had crushed her true love's heart right in front of her, she had tried with all her might to rip out her own so she could crush it and join Daniel. But she had failed, not yet possessing the ability to channel her rage in order to make magic, she had resigned herself to a life without love. Back then – the few years that had passed since had felt like a lifetime – she had no rage in her heart.

She had felt love and hope, but both had been drained away from her that night through her endless tears, making way for a void that she felt could never be filled. A void she would never let anybody even try to fill.

She would never love again.

And this thief in front of her probably had the same void she had. She could clearly see he was not going to back down. He had failed her, and was ready to face the consequences.

_Finally. _Finally she had found someone who owned their mistakes regardless of the consequences. But now she could not possibly bring herself to get rid of him; she was more than certain she wanted him to be hers. He would belong to her.

The flame died.

But he had _failed_ her. He had yet to show her that she could trust him.

She could trust no one. There was only one way to ensure he would never turn on her and stab her in the back.

With her head still abuzz, Regina quickly stalked to where the outlaw stood. They were almost nose-to-nose when she came to a halt.

"I wanted a heart, outlaw!" she said, her voice rasp due to her screaming. She looked rashly at his still empty eyes, then diverted her gaze to his chest and continued; "And a heart I shall have."

She thrusted her hand deep inside the man's chest cavity, to which he gave a muffed cry, his eyes widening with shock. Regina had done this her fair share of times so she was able to locate his heart quickly, but what she did not expect was what she felt as soon as her palm came in contact with it; the same electric sensation she felt when they touched, but magnified a thousand times stronger.

Regina let out a cry as the outlaw groaned. He had probably felt it too. Almost as a reflex, she hastily pulled her hand out, his heart clutched tightly in her palm.

A loud, relieved gasp escaped the outlaw's lips as he placed his hand where his heart had just been, his gaze fixed on his beating heart in Regina's hands.

The heart was dark. Very dark. Probably just as dark as her own. It had small, almost unnoticeable traces of deep red but was mainly blackened. His gaze was glued to the heart, and so was hers, both hypnotized by its obscure colour and drugged by the overpowering sensation flowing through them.

Suddenly the sensation changed and Regina felt as if the heart was melting itself into her palm, not coming apart but rather mingling with her own skin, as if they were becoming one. She was alarmed, horrified and terrified as the feeling took over her, even though she could see that the heart remained perfectly intact in her hand.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she asked, slightly desperate, "Is this some sort of protective spell?"

"I don't know what's happening." He confessed, looking just as shaken as she felt.

In fear, Regina instinctively shoved the hand that gripped his heart back in his chest and quickly withdrew, leaving the heart back with its owner. To her utter surprise, he let out a pained cry.

"No" he said clutching his chest again. He hissed before saying, "Take it away."

"What?" Regina asked, beyond confused.

"I do not want it." He said rather breathlessly.

Regina's eyes widened at the words the man was saying. Was he actually asking her to take his heart away? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I find it is only fitting that you take it, your majesty." He said in a serious tone, his eyes still closed.

"And why is that?" Regina inquired.

He opened his eyes and responded; "Because I have failed my task and you demanded a heart. It is the least I can do, since she ran away under my watch."

"Hmm, you do have a point." Regina remarked, pensive. "Although I can clearly see this is not the true reason you are giving your heart so willingly to me."

"My motives are mine alone, your majesty." She could note that he had added a tone of despise in her title.

Maybe it was best to take his heart; he may be wild and very intriguing, but he was also unpredictable. And Regina did not want to part with this man; there was something inexplicable that drew her to him. She would take his heart for her own, would take it even if it burned her palms when she held it. He would not run away, nor would he harm her.

"Very well." She finally said and without a word of warning had her hand searching for his heart again. The zap came, as if on cue, the second her fingers touched it, but she fought against the sensation and pulled it out.

Regina quickly turned around and walked to the double doors that led to where she kept her collection. She could hear the outlaw's steps as he walked right behind her. With a swift movement of her free hand the doors flung open to reveal the walls covered with a multitude of boxes, her collection now mingled with the hearts her mother had left behind. She had taken so many she could not tell them apart anymore.

But this heart, that felt as if it was burning a hole through her palm, this heart she did not want to lose track of. She took the box that was meant to house Snow's heart, resting on a table in the middle of the room, and quickly placed the heart inside, sighing in relief as the zapping ceased.

When she turned to face him she saw he was staring at her intensely, close to the double doors, seemingly impassive to the fact that she now owned him.

"I'm not sure if you are aware, outlaw, but when you pull someone's heart out it becomes enchanted." She teased at his ignorance as he tilted his head clearly unaware of the facts she was presenting to him. "And when you hold said enchanted heart…" she opened the lid of the box and slid her finger through the heart making her feel the burn but she was far too engrossed in her taunting to truly care, her gaze met his, ensuring that she held his complete attention, a small thrill running through her at the fear in his eyes as he awaited her next words, "…you control it."

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, trepidation entering his voice.

Regina smirked.

"You are now mine," she stated as she closed the lid again and walked to one of the walls. As she held the box in front of the wall a compartment opened and she placed the box in it closing it immediately after. With her hand still pressed to it, she continued, "From now on you will do everything I say." She lifted her perfect eyebrow and completed; "Serve me in every way I see fit."

Regina got the reaction she was aiming for; the outlaw looked stunned and swallowed hard.

She could not help but grin. Regina's thoughts travelled back to the night before, and her grin turned into a smirk. She could see the outlaw clench his fists and the little movement his fingers made brought her back to when he had them inside her, bucking and twisting. She unconsciously bit her lower lip and the pain of her actions snapped her from her memories.

Her rage had diminished but was not truly gone. It was still being fuelled by the mocking voice in the very back of her head that still sang in a childish tone that '_the little princess had escaped the loveless Queen_'. Some more impulsive parts of her head still told her to simply incinerate the thief on the spot, or just go back, grab his heart and crush it.

And yet, she could not give into any of those powerful desires. Desires that had always driven her to do her worst to others before they could do their worst to her. She always found that it had been a great self-preservation system before, but now she could clearly see that the voice that told her to do all these things without thinking did not belong there.

For another voice bloomed inside her now, one that told her to follow her own instincts, not the ones she had learned from her mother or the Dark one. What did her _own_ instincts tell her?

They told her that that man could be of more use to her than anybody else could, and that no one's touch would ever match his. At the mere thought of his touch, her desire grew. Images of him pumping his hard member with his hand, biting his lower lip, groaning her title until he came, invaded her mind.

This whole business was not over; she still had a large number of questions. But they would have to wait; more than ever, the percentage that simply wanted to have her wicked way with him, here and now, took over anything else.

Regina took a deep breath, rolled back her shoulders to straighten her posture and gave him her best attempt at a cold stare. She moved towards the door that he was standing by. He still looked slightly dumbfounded and Regina could not resist but brush lightly against him as she passed by.

_Hard_, she noted. _Good boy_.

She re-entered her recently darkened room and waved her hand at the mess she had caused to her chaise longue. Her purple magic did the rest, and the chaise and the vase she had destroyed were back in place as if nothing had ever happened. She faced the fireplace as she addressed him.

"Now tell me, what happened?" she asked, although through her dismissive tone he could make out her thinly veiled order.

She could hear the outlaw re-enter the room in firm steps. He cleared his throat and responded.

"She managed to duck my first advance and the blade embedded in her shoulder. As I pulled out the knife to strike her once more she blew powdered poppies on my face."

"Poppies? How the hell did she get a hold of that?" Regina said confused turning around to face him.

"My guess is that her servant gave it to her." The outlaw pointed out. There was a very odd tension hanging in the air and Regina knew the thief was carefully measuring his every word.

"That does sound possible…" Regina said, more to herself than anyone else. She was not looking at the outlaw anymore, but rather at the empty mirror frame behind him. There was a beat and her eyes snapped back at his, she narrowed them as she questioned sharply, her voice rising in tone, "Why on earth were there almost thirty stab wounds in that woman anyway? I thought I had made myself perfectly clear that I wanted her demise to be quick and swift."

"I…" he trailed, Regina was confused, "when I stabbed her she was already dead."

"Then why on earth did you stab her?" Regina was beyond confused. _Why on earth would he stab a dead body?_

"Because I got mad." He said simply, his accent more grave and poignant than ever before.

_Oh_

"I had just wakened to realize the princess had escaped and it infuriated me. I had never failed a job before." He explained.

Regina opened her mouth to reply but could not quite put into words how she felt about this. She knew only too well that there were several pieces of her mind reacting to what he had just said in very different ways. Some scorned at his lack of self-control, a small portion was taken aback by his openness to such violence, but the winning portion found it enticing and somewhat arousing.

"Right." She finally said as she took another long breath, trying put herself together, "And then?"

"And then I noticed the girl had left a trail, I was about to follow it when your guards started pursuing me." He stated looking her in the eye, Regina noted that a good deal of warmth had left his gaze after she had ripped his heart out. "I was able to follow the trail to the King's mausoleum. There were bloody handprints on the tomb but that was as far as I was able to go. Your guards made sure of that."

"Oh?"

"I had started the job, your majesty. And I intended to finish it." He said, gravely. Regina almost believed the coldness of his tone until his gaze flicked to her deep cleavage for a moment and he wet his lips, clearly his anger at not completing the job was not just his pride taking a knock.

His swift but noticeable actions took her, yet again, to the previous night when that same tongue had pleasured her to the edge of insanity. How he had fucked her with that tongue with so much fervor and passion, and how she felt she was about to lose her mind when he sucked the bundle between her thighs.

Regina was clearly shaken by her thoughts and took an unnecessarily deep breath, which made her breasts almost pop out of her dress. His eyes were immediately drawn back to her chest and she smirked at her small victory. She was getting rather tired of chit chatting with the outlaw anyway.

"Yes, a job half done." She tilted her head to the side, looking at him thoroughly, eyes raking from his head to toe, before she slowly continued; "which would reward you with half your prize."

She saw him bite his lower lip at her final words, his eyes roaming about her body.

_This ought to be fun._

"But how are we going to manage that?" she teased, bringing her finger to tap the side of her chin while walking slowly towards him.

As she approached him, she could see a smirk start to tug at the corners of his lips before he said with a flirty tone; "I'm sure your majesty will think of something befitting my services."

_Let us see if you still keep that smug smirk when I am through with you, outlaw._

When she was a mere foot away from him, she stopped and inspected him once more. She could see that he was hard and ready through the fabric of his trousers. But she could also see that he was covered in blood and dirt, and Regina drew a line at personal hygiene. Mingling sweat was acceptable, and at times quite welcome, but Regina could not tolerate _this_.

"I'm only going to say this once, outlaw." She started, her eyes piercing his, "I will expect you to be clean at all times; you no longer live in the woods, _nor bathe in the river_."

She said those last words with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, knowing he knew full well what she was talking about.

She regarded him for a heartbeat as he nodded. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off before he could utter a single word; "But since I'm a rather impatient woman and like to settle my business as quickly as I can, I will save you the trouble this one time."

The outlaw's expression was torn between confusion and eagerness as she waved her hand, a cloud of purple smoke engulfing his whole figure. When it dissipated, his clothes were clean, as well as his skin. She had even taken extra care to trim his beard slightly, but she could not bring herself to get rid of all his stubble; she remembered it had felt oddly arousing on her flesh.

She approached and prowled in a circle around him, inspecting the outlaw from head to toe. He stood frozen to the spot, probably rather shaken from having had magic used on him without warning.

_He would just have to get used to that._

Inspecting his body now brought memories of his naked image back into her mind, and Regina could not help but feel pleased that he had at least done half his job. If he had failed completely she would have been forced to either murder him or punish him harshly and throw him in a dingy cell.

_Such a waste._

_Half the job, half the prize,_ she thought mischievously with a smirk playing on her lips as she walked away from him to face the fireplace.

Although it was still day, barely past noon, the room was dark due to the remodeling she had done earlier that day. She found that darker tones pleased her more, and as she thought of ways to punish the outlaw, keep her promise and please herself, she diminished the intensity of the fire. The room became even darker, but she made sure it was still possible for the outlaw to see her.

Regina's anger started to dissipate as desire pooled into her. She was still furious that the girl had managed to run away, but one could not feed only out of hate. There were several other sins she could feed herself from, and lust was one she was already well acquainted with.

With a solid plan to torture the outlaw to pieces in mind and a malicious smirk playing on her lips, Regina waved her hand to the air. A thin plume of bright purple smoke left her palm and went to her back where the laces of her corset lay. She heard the outlaw let out a small gasp in realization of what was unfolding before his eyes. She could feel the magic work its way ever so slowly on the tightly fastened laces. Regina started to relax under the touch of her own magic and turned her neck to the side. It gave a noisy click and she sighed in pleasure as the tension faded away.

She could feel his eyes burn into her back as the laces became undone. The smoke dissipated when all the laces were loose and hanging about her back. She reached out for the small pins of her cape that started a little bellow her belly button, on the spot where the waistband of her tight leather pants rested. She undid the pins that secured the corseted cape to her front with anticipation building up on the pit of her stomach. Once all the pins were undone she let the heavy cape slid gently down her shoulders, wanting to torture the outlaw as much as she could before her real fun began. The weighty item fell from her body and pooled at her feet.

The noise that reached Regina's ears as soon as the cape fell on the floor made her want to drop all her plans, forget all punishments and teasing and just let him fuck her hard against the wall. It was a low, brutal, half-moan half-groan, something so erotic and yet completely unexpected. He had his reasons though; for now he was faced with the sight of her bare back, every inch of the perfect olive skin calling out for him to trace with his fingertips, and then his lips.

Regina had not been preoccupying herself with wearing many undergarments ever since Leopold's passing. She had not worn any to his funeral, nor to any of the ceremonies, and nor to the burial. She had felt absolutely rebellious and satisfied, the grieving widow on the outside but the rebel who had just been freed under her expensive and long skirts on the inside.

_Maybe I'll even make a habit out of this, _she thought, _it will facilitate the activities I have in mind for the thief._

With the resolute intention of driving him insane Regina reached out for the pins that secured her elaborate up do. She removed them and her long, long dark hair came tumbling down her back as she carelessly tossed the pins on the floor. She waved her head so her hair would be completely freed, and then reached out and moved all the thick strands to her front, covering her breasts with her long raven locks.

She could hear the thief's breathing quicken, and he was making low noises as his eyes almost burned holes into her back.

Regina turned her head ever so slightly, her gaze not quite reaching him as she seductively uttered; "Are you waiting for a written invitation, outlaw?"

It took a second for the thief's feet to catch up with his brain, but soon Regina counted his three, quick strides and the electrifying touch of his calloused hands encountering her ribcage from behind shot through her. Regina could not help but moan as his hands slid down her side, his grip fierce as if he was trying to map all of her at once. His hands came to rest on her leather clad hips and he squeezed hard. He closed the little distance between them, grinding his member against her arse, a groan escaping his lips.

The buzzing feel of him against her dizzied Regina's mind for a moment and she let out a soft, half-moan half-sob and the thief took that as invitation to explore everything this irresistible Queen had to offer. As he continued grinding against her, his head went to her shoulder and he started to unceremoniously bite and suck at the tender flesh there.

His hands slid their way to her front and up, his palms tracing a fiery path on her torso until they came to rest on her breasts. She felt him moan against the skin of her shoulder as he grabbed and squeezed them with force, his fingers tangling with the dark hair that still covered them so she could feel a pull on the strands with every kneading motion. It should have been painful, but Regina liked it; she had always liked this kind of pain, had never been a fan of tender and sweet.

Regina was trying very hard to hang onto to the little bit of self-control she possessed, but as his rough archer's fingers started pinching one of her nipples, she felt as if control had slipped far, far away. She closed her eyes and basked in the intense sensation his touch was providing her. She could not help but grind her behind against his length, letting go at the sensation of being free, being satisfied, being wh…

The noise that left her mouth – an unfamiliar, out of control, strident mewl – snapped her out of her hazy state.

This was not what she had planned; she would not let this common thief take control over her. No one would ever control her, not again.

Her eyes shot open and Regina quickly turned around to meet his gaze. She was grateful she was in heels still so they were almost the same height, although he was still that little bit taller than her even then.

The outlaw misread her actions completely, and with fiery eyes glued to her mouth leaned in to kiss her. Regina was quick and promptly put her finger on his lips, making him stop immediately. His sensual gaze turned into that of confusion.

She gave him a huffed smile, her finger leisurely tracing his lips from corner to corner. She looked deep inside his lust filled eyes, the dark blue she had seen the day before almost hypnotizing in its depth. She clicked her tongue and the hand that was lightly teasing his lips suddenly grabbed his face with force as she asked - in a husky voice that betrayed her incredibly aroused state - "Ah outlaw, aren't you forgetting something?"

She brought his face to a hair's breadth away from hers and continued; "You only get half your prize."

Regina sounded as turned on as the outlaw looked. She licked her bitten bottom lip for a moment, looking at his slightly parted ones.

The outlaw looked puzzled, and Regina could not help but let out a small throaty laugh as she released his face from her grip, pushing his head back.

She watched as the outlaw took that moment to drink her in. The look he had on his face at that moment told her he was very close to eating her alive, his eyes shining brighter with the light of the fireplace. His dangerous eyes travelled through her body, spotting a hint of her nipple underneath her sea of hair - which still covered all her breasts, to her belly and her still clothed legs. His eyes went back to her chest and there they lingered as his tongue came to wet his lips and a groan escaped his throat. He was snapped out of his trance by her next words.

"It's rather simple." He looked up at her and she was wearing her triumphant smirk, "You can look all you want, thief… But you can't touch."

His eyes widened and he raised a quizzical eyebrow. His mouth shot open but then closed again, before he raised a tentative hand and tried to reach out to pull her to him.

_Wrong move, thief._

She froze him on the spot, his body now completely stiff – and not just his lower parts.

"Another word of advice to you thief." She said poisonously, she felt the anger start bubbling inside her ; "I never jest; what I say, I mean. Do not _ever _disobey me again, or it will be the last thing you do."

She unfroze him, and the thief looked comically stunned. If Regina had not been so irate, she would have found his expression rather funny.

But she was tired. So _damn_ tired of men not taking her orders seriously. None of them ever did; all her orders had to go through the approval of the King. The Dark one had always openly stated he found her ideas foolish. Even her own sweet father still saw her as a little girl.

"Forgive me your majesty, I did not mean to disrespect you."

His words took her by surprise. She could see they even took _him_ by surprise. She opened her mouth to retort but could not think of anything sharp and hurtful to say to such an apology. It was now her time to look puzzled, but it only lasted a moment before she made a conscious decision to ignore it and to finish what she had started and finally ease the throbbing ache on her wet, nether parts.

She huffed and shrugged one shoulder, appearing indifferent to his response.

Her eyes came to rest on that God forsaken jacket that still housed her – now ruined – pin. It was useless now. The jacket had her late husband's crest stamped right over the outlaw's chest, where his heart used to lie. But this soldier was hers, not her Leopold's. She snapped at it, removing the item swiftly from the outlaw's frame and holding it grasped in her hand.

She threw the offending piece of cloth in the fireplace without a second thought and watched it burn with satisfaction. The outlaw just stared, wide-eyed.

She looked back at the outlaw who had a look of slight unease, but she could see she had not been able to scare away his erection; the outline was plain and clear to see through the fabric of his trousers.

"All better now." She said, a devious smile on her lips as her bright eyes took him in, clad in a simple white shirt and his trousers and boots.

_This is all yours Regina_, she thought to herself; _play with it as you please._

This was a real first for Regina; no fear of getting caught, no more muffed moans of pleasure, no more hiding… she was now free. Free to do as she pleased. And what pleased her in this moment was the unnerving outlaw standing in front of her.

She approached him, the feel of excitement and curiosity of a child faced with an unknown toy taking up residence in the pit of her stomach. Her long hair still rested above her breasts as she stood right in front of him, a mere inch away. Every deep breath she took made her the tips of her nipples graze against his shirt. He was looking down at her mouth with eagerness, and she closed her eyes she breathed in his scent; a musky, wooden kind of smell, mixed with a hint of sweat, very manly and very fitting for a man living in the outdoors. Regina would never confess the smell did things to her, it was masculine and wild and it inspired outrageous ideas in her head.

She slowly opened her eyes and caught his fiery gaze staring back at her. Although his chest rose with his heavy breathing, the outlaw did not move otherwise. He was just waiting for her to make her move.

Her hands left her hips and quickly travelled to his bruised neck, red marks from her clawed nails under her fingers. He winced at the contact, but her touch, although still firm, was not intent on hurting him anymore. She was staring at his tempting mouth with hunger, and leaned so their lips almost met. Then waited.

The thief did not move, but Regina could feel his heart rate accelerate under her palms and his breathing quickened, clear signs that he was greatly affected by her actions. She parted her lips slightly, letting out the softest of moans and dragged her palms downwards, slowly, her eyes accompanying them, feeling his every curve, his every toned muscle through the thin, white shirt.

As Regina's hands came to rest on the waistband of his trousers, she tugged at them, bringing his body to finally come into full contact with hers. Regina could feel his hard erection against her leather clad core and could not help but grind herself against him, to which the outlaw let out a low groan. Regina lowered her head to his neck and slowly traced her tongue from the base until his chin. He let out another shuddering moan and Regina looked up. She wanted to see this.

Without drawing her eyes from his, Regina's touch became a light caress and she used her fingers to trace his erection through his trousers. He let out a soft moan and closed his eyes, his features twisting as she drew ghost patterns along his hard length. His arms were resting at his sides and Regina could see that he was fisting both his hands as her examination continued. She could feel him impossibly hard against her fingers, and she traced the tip with a single finger, watching his face, fascinated at his controlled reactions.

Regina felt her mouth water with anticipation, without warning Regina palmed him with vigour, enjoying the choked moan the thief couldn't help but release. His eyes shot open and she maliciously smiled at him. Suddenly something came over Regina, an overwhelming need for friction as she became tired of teasing the outlaw.

Her elegant fingers found his belt and quickly unfastened it, her gaze not leaving his face as she noted his every reaction. He looked down at her hands as she unceremoniously pushed his trousers down to free his aching erection. She looked down but the shirt covered everything she wanted to see, so without second thought Regina hooked one finger onto the collar and dragged it down, using a little magic to tear it apart.

When the shirt was finally opened to reveal his body, Regina took a step back in order to take him in. He was everything she remembered from the images from her mirror the night before; all toned and muscled. But now Regina could also faintly see there were several scars decorating his torso, scars and scratches of all shapes and sizes, some new and bright red, others faint white and barely noticeable. But as her eyes came to rest on his erection they grew wide with desire and she subconsciously licked her lips. It did not disappoint, it was all she had seen the night before through her mirror and more, thick and ready and looking absolutely delicious.

With a smirk plastered on her features, an evil look in her eyes and impatience flowing through her veins, Regina grabbed the thief's torn shirt and pushed him onto her chaise. He landed awkwardly; his neck resting on the back of the chair, his hips far enough forward that he was reclined enough to be half sitting and half lying down. He was in a rather uncomfortable position since his movements had been restricted by his trousers, but he could not keep his intense gaze from watching the Queen as she prowled towards him.

Regina let out a small laugh as she let her instincts guide her. She promptly straddled the thief, each of her leather-clad legs coming to each side of his body. She leaned her body towards him predatorily, resting her hands next to his head to support her weight. Their lips were again a breath away from meeting, but she could not bring herself to kiss him. Instead, she looked deeply into his eyes and ground her sex against his in one slow and hard movement, letting out a moan of pleasure practically inside his parted mouth. His eyes were a pool of dark blue desire, and his brows knitted as he fisted the seat of the chaise in his hands, squeezing it tightly.

Regina continued her torturously slow and intense movements until the thief had his eyes closed and was moaning in both desperation and pleasure. Regina knew it took a great deal of self-restraint for him to not give into his instincts and just grab her. Her mouth was still hovering above his, the pull almost begging her to close the distance between them, but Regina refused to give into the need she did not even know she had before now.

She wanted to kiss him, _really _wanted to kiss him. But she could not; there was something dangerous waiting in his lips, she could feel it. She knew the moment their lips met something overwhelming would happen, something Regina was not ready for. She could feel in her gut it was to be something truly unique, just like the electrifying sensation their touch gave her. But the small voice in her head told her it was weak to give into such things.

_Better stick with what you know dearie; rage, lust and hate will never take you by surprise, _she heard in the back of her mind.

Regina pulled her head back and used the back of the chaise to leaver herself up. She still straddled him and continued with her sensual movements, feeling her clit rub against the leather of her pants, the sting making her even wetter. But it was just not enough to quell the growing ache between her legs.

With a wave of her hand Regina's pants were gone, the only garment she still wore being her knee high, black boots. His eyes shot open as soon as he felt her bare core brushing against him. Regina gave a small moan and continued to grind herself against him, wetting his aching erection with her arousal. Her hands came to rest on his stomach, the feeling of energetic current between them more powerful than ever.

This was so different, like nothing she had ever experienced, the feel of his hard length brushing against her slick folds was almost driving her insane. And it appeared the outlaw was fairing quite similarly; he was biting his lower lip hard, his brows knitted together and his knuckles white from grabbing onto her chaise instead of the woman on top of him. He released his bottom lip with a strangled groan as he felt her hand reach down for his length.

Regina was so tired of waiting; she wanted more, she wanted _everything_.

And that was what she going to get.

She pushed herself straight on his lap and took him in her hand, warm, hard and more than ready to pleasure her. She lifted her weight and placed her slick core on the tip of his burning erection. Their intense gazes locked, and all the lust and desire Regina felt was reflected back at her in the outlaw's blue eyes, his mouth hanging half open on a gasp. She lowered herself onto his cock as slowly as she could manage, basking in the unique and overwhelming feeling of being filled completely.

During her torturously slow descent, Regina did her best not to moan too eagerly. The outlaw did the same. Their eyes were locked with each other, Regina narrowed her eyes and the outlaw bit his lower lip, as if to try and show the other that they were not feeling as affected by this insane unison as they actually were. But when he was balls-deep inside her and Regina released her weight, fully resting against him, they both finally let their pleasure filled moans escape.

He had a rather thick cock, and so Regina took her time in adjusting to it, moving her hips in small circles and trying to impale him even deeper inside her. She clenched her walls around him, making the thief's eyes roll back. She started to move above him ever so slowly, her movements small in order for her to rub her clit as much as she could against his skin.

But her impatience grew and soon she was moving faster, yearning for more, and more and _more_. She rose and fell, riding him with vigour, her breasts bouncing with her movements. He met her every move with one of his own.

She arched her back, moving him in and out of herself, her hands coming to grab onto the hair at her scalp, pulling hard. That movement made the strands that covered her breasts move, exposing more of herself to the thief.

Robin, who had been looking at her with fire blaze eyes, brought his hands up to cover his eyes, almost coming undone at the sight of her perfect breasts in front of him and knowing he was forbidden to touch them.

"Ah, fuck" he whispered, his head tilting back to rest against the edge of the chaise.

Regina stopped moving, stilling with his length buried deep inside her. The many years of sneaking around and almost getting caught had given her an exceptional control over her body. A control she always felt slip through her fingers when she was with this man. And yet, here she was, fucking him into her chaise longue.

The thief whimpered at the great loss.

"I find it rather ungrateful of your part, thief." She was extremely breathless, but still held command in her tone; "I have, after all, been kind enough to let you watch."

His hands came off his face to grip his own hair. He was looking at her, a mixture of hate and desire mingling in his dark blue eyes as her words hit him.

"So you shall watch."

Regina moved again, but more slowly than ever, she moved her hips, releasing soft moans at the feeling of him filling her up. With every thrust she neared her torso in his direction, her gaze burning into his equally heated one. She once again leaned her weight on the chaise as their torsos met and Regina felt as if her skin was burning at the contact.

His hands went to grip the sides of the chaise again as she started to pick up the pace. He met her with every thrust, trying to pump himself as deeply as he could inside her. The pace was now frantic and both were muttering incoherently, a few gasps of _'fuck' _and _'yes' _mixing with several loud moans. Regina's lips were by the side of his head, her mouth hissing noises of utter pleasure into his ear as she occasionally bit and licked his earlobe. Suddenly, when the sensation was far too over whelming, she started to suck on his pulse point beneath his ear, drunk on the feeling of being thoroughly fucked.

Regina neared her high and she sucked harder, knowing she'd probably leave a mark but finding herself not caring in the slightest. She felt her walls clench around his erection and bit down on his already harmed neck. She came with a loud cry of pleasure, a _very_ loud cry of pleasure, right into the thief's ear.

Regina had never come like this; every wave of pleasure that washed through her made her feel as if she was flying. For a heartbeat she could not breathe, the entire world faded away until all that she felt was the pleasure running through her veins. Her head was light, and if she died at that moment, she would go down with a smile on her face, for that was the most incredible sensation she had ever felt.

Her grip on the chaise gave way, her legs becoming limp, her weight crushing the thief against the back which he was leaning on. Her head rested in the hollow of his neck and her breath washed across his skin. She felt light headed and amazing.

As soon as her body became loose above him, the thief reached out with one arm to wrap around her back in order to stop her from falling off his frame, as he forced himself to stop pumping into her.

He regarded her intensively.

Regina could have just poofed herself from his presence and left him there to clean up his mess himself as she had the night before. Regina had actually planned in doing just so, once she had reached her peak. But now when it came down to it, she could not bring herself to be so cruel.

_Going soft are we?_ The impish voice mocked

She ignored the voice, raised her head to meet his eyes and said, with a hoarse edge to her voice, "You may finish, thief"

He gave a relieved sigh and actually smiled, a full, sincere smile. Regina would later blame her high for smiling back at him, and with the same earnest energy.

With his length still buried inside her, he gave her side a slight questioning tug with the hand that steadied them both together, silently asking if he could touch her now. She gave a brief nod and rested her head yet again on the nape of his neck examining closely the deep red mark she had created during her orgasm.

With swift and quick moves – which showcased his ability to get out of this sort of 'twisted' situation that he had no doubt been in before – the thief was able to kick off his boots and the remainders of his trousers without much difficulty. Putting both his hands on her middle, he hoisted Regina up and flipped her on her back on the chaise in one quick manoeuver. And even though his actions made a surprised gasp escape her lips, Regina immediately wrapped her legs about his middle in order to bring his heat closer to her once more, her high heels digging into the flesh at the small of his back. His weight crushed her for a moment before his palms were placed on each side of her head, supporting him as he entered her again.

Regina had not exactly permitted him to pull such a stunt, but at that moment, she did not have the strength in herself to protest. Nor did she really want to.

Regina could not help but moan when the friction resumed, her hands flying to his neck. Even after reaching her high that man still made her yearn for more. He was thrusting with vigor and it quickly became rapid and desperate, and Regina felt herself whimper against her own will with the new sensation of having him on top of her. Their torsos were touching, bumping with every thrust that she had unconsciously started to meet every time.

_This cannot be possible_, Regina thought desperately as she felt yet another high start to take over her. She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

_This is ridiculous_! The outraged, Evil Queen screamed inside her mind, _you're so overwhelmed you feel like crying?_

_But it feels too fucking marvelous to let go, _argued the part of her that was resolute in only wearing leather pants and fucking the outlaw in every single room of her late husband's castle.

This had never happened before. She had just come undone, it was not possible that after a few moments her body was ready to burst with pleasure again. But it was all very true. The outlaw fucked her at a desperate pace, their hips met with fervor, his face buried into her neck, his breath burned her wherever it ghosted over her skin…

They came, together.

With one final and particularly hard thrust, he buried his cock as deeply as he could inside her at the very precise moment she felt her walls tighten as they both came with strangled moans. Regina was once again flying and, if it was possible, this orgasm felt even better than the last. Regina ignored with all her strength the small, wee, little voice that told her the feeling had been heightened because they had come together; this was not some sappy love story.

The thief took a deep breath and tried to steady himself so he would not crush her body. His elbows came to rest where his hands had lain and his mouth found its way to her neck.

Regina's legs gave way and loosened their strong hold on his middle, falling ungracefully to the sides, one of her feet touched the floor whilst her other leg laid against the back of the chaise.

They remained there for about a minute, his softening length still inside her, their breaths shaky and uneven.

With a small groan the thief lifted his head to meet her eyes, his still dilated pupils met her hazy brown orbs. The thief hovered above her, supporting his weight on his arms, confusion adorning his features.

She stared back at him equally as puzzled. As she felt him try to put more distance between them she felt a pang of something she could not name and one of her hands shot involuntarily to hold his torn shirt to keep him close.

_Why am I so reluctant to let him go? _

He frowned, still wearing a look of confusion. His gaze diverted to her lips and she knew she could not hold back the burning urge to kiss him anymore.

But before she could think or do anything about these urges, his lips came crashing down on hers, and she prayed to whatever high above force that she would not lose her mind.

This whole affair was probably the worst idea Regina had ever come up with. But also the very best.

Their lips met and the electric sensation she was starting to get used to, the one that tingled her torso and legs, came at full force on their lips. It burned her soul, and electrified her heart.

The kiss remained closed mouthed as her hands came to hold his cheeks in an almost tender gesture, far different from any way she had treated the thief before.

But Regina had absolutely no control over the situation, and far too soon he broke the kiss to stare at her, his tall frame on top of her as confusion and desire still pooled in his eyes. Regina could do nothing but stare back with the same look of bewilderment. That kiss had felt like a taste of ambrosia, but she knew this sweet sensation meant that she was being weak; she felt the need to kiss him again, and Regina Mills did not need anything from anyone.

He drew back slightly and Regina took the opportunity to sit up and try to pull herself together. As she sat up rather abruptly, the thief drew a little farther away from her and sat on the chaise facing her. One of his legs in between hers, his bare flesh brushing against hers.

The contact sent that tingling sensation up her spine again.

Their eyes met, and Regina wanted to repeat everything they had just done.

She never wanted her skin to stop tingling.

But this was too much.

She straightened her spine, drawing a deep breath in order to keep her emotions at bay, and sat up straighter than ever. She untangled her legs from his, turned to the side and stood from the chaise in all her naked glory, nothing covering her flesh but her knee high boots.

She had her back to him, her voice still husky as she finally uttered; "I imagine our business is done here, thief. You may leave."

She heard him shift from her chaise and stand, he did not, however, take another step. Neither towards her, nor towards the door.

"Go back to that tree house in the woods you slept in last night," she continued, feeling proud that she had managed to put her feelings at bay and wear her royal mask.

"I think my 'patrol brothers' are not going to welcome me with opened arms given recent events, your majesty." She heard his deeply accented voice state, and she noted with a smirk it was rather rasp.

The thief had a point.

Regina had honestly forgotten about the fact that he had been brought to her as the most likely assassin of the maid.

A story unraveled itself inside Regina's head, a twisted and cruel tale that would not only get the King's army to fight for her, but would also rid the thief of any accusations.

With an evil grin on her face, Regina waved her hand and a long, black, silk robe met her skin. The fabric was cool against her flesh and, to the thief's pleasure, translucent. She turned around to meet his eyes, he was standing beside the chaise in nothing but a torn white shirt.

Regina noted there was still some cum on the tip of his cock and her grin turned malicious. She stalked in his direction and used her forefinger to collect his seed. Without breaking eye contact, Regina promptly sucked the digit, drawing a moan from herself in the process, tasting the salty substance with pleasure.

The thief's jaw dropped as he glued his gaze to the Queen's mouth, his brain short-circuiting.

Removing her finger from her mouth with a pop, Regina continued as if she hadn't just driven the thief to the brink of insanity, "That will be taken care of. Tomorrow you will assume your new post."

The man took a good few seconds to take in the new information and, still staring at her lips, replied; "And what post might that be, your majesty?"

Regina dared to approach her lips with his again, pausing when they breathed the same air and the thief's eyes closed.

"I'm not one to ruin the surprise" she chuckled, and suddenly her face became serious as she stepped back.

"Now leave!"

**Aren't they just adorable?**

**Please let me know what you think, nothing makes me happier than a review of a PM ;)**

**Ps; oh my Gosh I cannot believe this chapter has ten thousand words! What. The. Hell?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everybody! Again, I am so sorry for taking so long to update but these chapters are getting more and more lengthy so they tend to take loads more time for me to revise and for my dear beta to do her magic. **

**I would like to say that I'm so thrilled about all the response I got from the last chapter, thank you all so much for reviewing, favoriting and following. Every word I get back from you leaves a warm feeling in my heart, so thank you!**

**And also a very heartfelt thank you to my beta, Zoe, who is incredible and whom I love.**

**So here we are back inside the head of our favorite bandit turned bad, let's see what he has to say about all that's been going on-**

Robin felt empty.

He still felt the blood pumping in his veins as if the pulsating organ still lay inside his chest.

But it didn't. And he felt nothing.

He did not feel a drop of guilt over what he had done. Not for yesterday, nor for a year ago, nor for ever.

The memory of Marian's last moments was still very much alive in his mind, it played over and over again, and still he felt nothing. He felt no guilt, nor pain, nor love. That was to be the ultimate price for the numbness he had craved so much for.

He could not feel.

The moment he had been parted with his heart, all the guilt and pain that weighted his soul were lifted. He felt relief. But he felt nothing.

Then he got the opportunity to look at what he had done to his heart. It was dark, very dark. He knew he should have felt disgusted, but he had been spellbound by the dark red glow. Still numb, still light.

Then all of a sudden he felt it, he felt the heart in her palm. He felt as if his very soul was melting away through it into her, mingling with her flesh, becoming one. She had most certainly felt something too, for she had screamed at him, hissed through clenched teeth, looking at his blackened heart before shoving it back into his chest.

And it all came back.

Worse than ever before. The guilt, the pain, the desperation, everything. Robin had found it hard to breathe due to the overwhelming amount of sentiment his heart held. He did not want any of that. He wanted to feel numb, he wanted to feel nothing. All this was far too much for him to take, it ached too much, it hurt too much. So he had begged her, had pleaded like a pathetic, helpless, little peasant to take it away.

_I do not want it._

She had looked startled, not quite understanding, and yet she took it, even though his heart had clearly harmed her, and as soon as his heart left his chest, once again he was washed over with the blissful sensation of nothingness.

Though far too quickly he felt the organ start to burn again, it was her touch that did that. He could not quite fathom if it was a harmful sensation or not; it was too overpowering for him to track back to ever feeling before. She thankfully deposited his heart inside a box quickly, and the blissful numbness took over once more.

Her words then hit deep; "I control it", "You are mine", "…everything I say", "…serve me in every way"…

Robin was sure if he had his heart still pounding in his chest, he would have been drowned by all sorts of emotions.

Dread, that this half-crazed woman had now complete control over him. Anticipation, for the way her tongue had caressed the words 'every way'. Desperation, since his freedom – one of the few things he had left – was now gone. And relief, that he had managed somehow to find a place to settle down that did not in any way remind him of the life he used to lead.

Robin had recognized all those feelings, but he just could not bring himself to feel them fully. There were mere faint traces of emotion, just there, looming.

When their conversation took a more interesting tone, Robin could have sworn he could feel his heart pounding in his chest whilst he stared holes through the Queen's clothing. He knew it was an ineffective task; he would see what she wanted him to see. But when had she taken off her clothes, and let down that silly up do, and he had almost come in his pants. The woman was perfection personified, his fingers had ached to trace their way along all that bare, exposed, flawless skin.

When she had spoken Robin had hardly even understood the words before he had his body against hers. The sensation was tantalizing; he felt it, he felt her, the electricity between them more powerful than ever. Two seconds ago, even though he had been aroused, the feeling of numbness still ruled over his body. The moment he touched her he could feel, everything.

Well, not everything exactly; he still could not feel regret over his past, nor anger towards the runaway princess, nor love to the people he had left behind.

But he could feel _her_. Everything about her, he could feel it, running through his veins. He could feel the desire he had for her burning up his very soul, coalescing with the hate he felt towards her for treating him like a pawn and leaving him to his own devices. He could even feel the sympathy that had bloomed momentarily in his heart for her the day when she had shown him her broken side, for just a moment.

And it burned his very soul to touch her, to be overrun by this amount of emotion. But touch her he did, as much as he could. Like a man dying of thirst he had groped her body, had felt every inch of exposed skin and had her moaning and sighing for him.

But it was all over too quickly.

_Evil_. This woman had to be the most evil human being he had ever encountered; she had promptly deprived him of the only thing that made him feel alive.

_Insane_. This woman had to be insane. Robin could see all the emotions playing out in her expressions; anger, lust, tiredness, eagerness, curiosity.

_What the hell had he gotten himself into?_

Then she was touching him again and all thought and reason became a blurry haze. He felt wanton desire burning in the pit of his stomach. It travelled its torturous way down to the very tip of his cock, which the Queen caressed with her finger, taunting him.

_That bloody minx._

Through the light touch of her fingers he could feel lust and anger mingling inside him, and he was not sure which one was stronger.

Then all of a sudden her hands were hasty and his pants were gone, his body being unceremoniously pushed to the chaise. It was then when he definitely knew which emotion had won out.

She was impatient and yet she taunted him still, grinding herself against him with force. It took all the will power Robin owned to not just grab her and fuck her sanity away. But Robin knew this Queen was not to be toyed with, and so he calculated his every move and fought against all his urges to touch her.

Her face hypnotized him; she looked glorious, her red lips inches away from his mouth as her hips ground down against him. Suddenly Robin felt a slick substance graze his cock and he looked down to discover nothing else covered the Queen's modesty as she continued to grind herself against him.

And when he was finally buried deep inside her… he was brought to the edge of insanity itself.

God, he had wanted to touch her, he had wanted to ravage her as soon as their sexes became one. Even without his heart, Robin could say with absolute certainty that he had never felt such overwhelming power with anybody else. It seemed as if they fit each other perfectly, which was so wrong and yet so very right at the same time.

Robin had been in a haze of emotions. His mind flitting through as he watched the Queen riding him, first at a torturously slow pace but then picking up, impatient. She was a glorious vision to behold, all that pale flesh exposed, clad only in her black boots, hair still resting on top of those delicious breasts, fiery eyes locked on his. From the way she looked at him it seemed as if she could read deep inside his very soul.

By some cruel trick of fate her breasts had somehow been exposed to him and he felt he would rather claw out his eyes than see them, knowing he could not touch them.

As soon as his vision was black due to him clamping his hands over his eyes, she stopped. And Robin felt his blood boil with emotions.

Hate.

Anger.

Frustration.

_Fucking wench._

He opened his eyes and she was there, looking at him, and telling him to look at her.

She resumed her frantic movements and his emotions changed again. She was most definitely driving him crazy. She had done something, she must have. All of a sudden the urge to touch her became impossible to hold back, he held onto the chaise with a grip that might have snapped an ogre's neck. He was ever so thankful that she leaned her torso towards his, the amount of his skin touching hers increasing tenfold, the almost explosive electric flowing through his veins partially satiating a little his urge to reach out and touch her.

When she finally came, she let out a deafening scream right beside her ear. Her body became limp instantly and, although Robin was uncertain, his reflexes won over and he brought one of his arms to wrap around her, holding her to him.

He was still hard as rock inside her, desperately needing more to send him over the edge. He met her eyes in a silent request and was dumbfounded to find such a serene and content expression upon her face.

From what he had experienced and seen over the past day Robin was almost certain she would not let him come at all, rather just disentangle herself from him, and send him away. But when her words hit him, _you may finish_, her voice hoarse and weak, Robin could not help but smile at her, a genuine smile. Something Robin could not remember doing for such a very long time. Robin figured he must have been hallucinating when he could have sworn she smiled back at him, the same gentle smile with a little light in her eyes.

With a silent gesture she had allowed him to touch her and Robin felt a primitive force come over him in that very second. He had to bask in this opportunity as much as he could. Acting on his primal impulses he quickly turned the tables so it was her turn to have her back against the chaise. Then he fucked her, good and proper.

He pounded into her as if his life depended on it. And to his ego's delight, she moaned and cried out for more. His thrusts became more fierce by the second, the harder he fucked her the more she seemed to enjoy herself. And so did he; when his release came, he almost felt disappointed it was over.

He dreaded to think back to that moment, would prefer to keep it under lock and key; he had felt complete. With the Queen gasping underneath him, her skin warm and flushed against his as he tried to calm his breathing from his high… he felt so very complete. Which was ridiculous. He did not even have his heart on him, how could he possibly be complete just because this homicidal maniac and he had orgasmed with each other?

They had remained connected for a few minutes, their breaths trying to even out, his face having found its way to her neck as his whole body had relaxed. When he pulled back to regard her, he noticed he had left an angry red mark on her neck.

_Good._

But as his eyes met hers she looked hazed, confused and not quite herself. His expression mirrored hers as he started to pull away. To his utter surprise, she grabbed his shirt as if she was unwilling to let him go just yet. He could see her actions puzzled her, but Robin's gaze fell on her red lips and he was lost. He did not know if he would ever have the chance to do this again, and if this was his last day on earth he was not going down before tasting her lips.

He kissed her.

He kissed her on those full, red lips and had instantly been almost overcome by sensations. It pierced his soul and clawed at where his heart should have been.

Her hands came in contact with his cheeks and she kissed him back, willing and eager.

_This was meant to be_, a small voice whispered in his ear

_No, it was not, this was insanity._

He pulled back and instantly missed her mouth against his.

The Queen retracted herself from him and quickly put a safe distance between their naked bodies.

She was once again regal, harsh and bitchy, and Robin had known that whatever had transpired between them in that moment was gone. She sent him away so quickly Robin had barely had enough time to put his trousers back on.

When he had made his way back to the Forest Head Quarters, none of the knights met his eyes. Upon arriving at his destination, the boys had scattered more quickly than kitchen rats, and the old captain Mormant had met his eye with an almost startled expression, nodded and left.

Robin had found himself alone in the headquarters, the place looked exactly the same but Robin felt as if he had not been there in years; so much had happened during this past day. Only when he reached his room was he able to inspect the damage the Queen had left behind on his skin in the small mirror that had been returned to the wall facing the bed. Injuries both from the way in which she had grasped his neck and almost crushed his windpipe in a fit of rage, and from the much more pleasurable experience when she had rode his cock sending him into a fit of temporary insanity.

Those nails of hers had cut deep, had drawn blood from his neck. There was also another mark on his neck that Robin did not mind in the least, he grinned when he remembered how the Queen had sucked that exact spot fiercely just before she came. Like she was marking him.

Robin smirked even more at the memory that he had also left his mark on her neck that day.

As he continued his inspection, the nasty gash on his forehead did worry him a bit; it was fairly bloody and if left alone it was likely it would get infected. He retrieved some clean cloth and flesh water from the deserted kitchen. He noted there was no bread left – pity – before returning to his room and cleaning up his wounds, bandaging them as best as he could manage.

Robin was disappointed – but not really surprised – that the Queen had not paid him a visit that evening. He had collapsed into the cranky bed and slept for what had felt like days.

In the early morning, he was surprised yet again to encounter a piece of paper upon his pillow the moment he opened his eyes. That woman filled his time from dawn until dusk; apparently, he was not allowed respite from her taking over his thoughts.

Robin got dressed, donning his old clothes as his uniform had blood on the collar that he simply could not scrub away. The Queen had summoned him to the throne room as quickly as possible, so that was where he headed.

Even though Robin did not wear the army's uniform, no man blocked his way in his entire journey towards the castle. As he got there, he became quite uncertain as to where the throne room actually was and took a leap of faith by following a group of guards that seemed to be heading that direction.

The room was filled with men, a few dozen easily, and yet not one met his eye, and not one looked his way.

The men were all clad in some sort of military garb. Some wore that ridiculous helmet Robin was resolute he would not be caught dead wearing. Some wore the heavy dark armor and others military jackets filled with pins and decorations, years of service repaid with adornments of tin.

Robin was able to overhear that the Queen had all the captains and generals from her army assembled in her throne room to make some an announcement of some kind. Of what exactly, not Robin nor anybody else seemed to know.

Robin was able to spot the captain of the patrol, the one who had punched him like a coward whilst two other men had restrained him. He felt his blood boil and his hands clench in fists, he waited for the anger to come, but it never did; only a faint memory of the feeling had remained. Robin was glad. Last thing he needed was make a spectacle.

He stayed behind, close to the doors, leaning against the cold stonewall, the furthest spot from the throne he could find. This was easiest way out of the room were the Queen to stab him in the back and confess everything, or turn the story around to pin all blame on him. He crossed his arms and waited, uncertainty and anticipation looming over him.

Suddenly, without any external help whatsoever, the heavy double doors beside him swung closed with a loud 'bang'. All the men in the room looked towards them, and inevitably his way, some even drawing their swords. Robin's eyes were on the doors, he knew only too well who was able to pull that trick. He was one of the first ones to look at the throne altar where he was met with the image of the Queen he had been so very intimate with not 24 hours ago. He heard a voice loudly announce; 'the Queen!' All the others heads in the room snapped to look at her.

Robin came to the conclusion that with every passing day this woman managed to look more and more beautiful. She had her long, black tresses tied high on her head, cascading over her right shoulder. Even though this was the least revealing dress he had seen her wear so far, she still looked exquisitely alluring and he still wanted to rip her clothes off and fuck her.

The dark colored velvet clung to her upper body, and a tightly fastened corset adorned her torso. Unfortunately, there was no daring cleavage, nor was there any translucent fabric around her chest area. The garment was long sleeved and had a straight and rather disappointingly high cut that revealed nothing of the supple flesh Robin knew laid there. The velvet shaped her hips, and undoubtedly her ass – which was not in his field of vision, such a pity – perfectly and flowed down elegantly about her legs, legs he wanted to spread and…

_For fuck sakes, get a bloody grip!_

The mere sight of her was making him bloody half-hard already.

She stood there, all male eyes on her, drinking in her stunning presence and Robin could not help but sense it was jealousy that tingled in his empty chest.

"My loyal subjects, my fearless knights. I have called upon you today bearing saddening news." she addressed the crowd in front of her in her regal manner "As you all are aware, your king, my dearest husband, was assassinated in his own bed by a man he deemed a friend. A man he had helped find freedom and had been repaid with death. The whereabouts of this man is currently unknown, but he is still being thoroughly searched for by your companions as we speak." Regina was poised and her expressive voice poignant; all attention was focused on her.

"I have, sadly, come across new information regarding the King's death." There was a slight curious murmur amongst the men, the murmur died down as soon as the Queen started speaking again. "And I say sadly because I never thought this devastating information could prove itself to be so true. In my concern for the well-being of my step daughter, who refused to be escorted by knights but only by her maid, I procured the services of a man to watch over her whilst she made her mournful way to her father's tomb every day."

_What?_ Robin thought, his brows knitting together. _What the hell was she talking about?_

_Was that even him? Could she manage to twist the information that much?_

The men were uneasy again but all it took was for the Queen to clear her throat for the room to be quiet again.

She continued.

"And so, for the security of the child I deemed as my own, I procured only the best. I had none other than Robin Hood watching over her ever since the King's passing."

There was a general gasp amongst the men, Robin could feel the Queen's eyes burn into him, as she smirked his way. All eyes were on him now as he tried to not look uneasy, the wall he was leaning against assisted him in looking mildly disinterested. But Robin's mind burned with anger and uncertainty.

_What was she doing?_

_Was she going to give him away so all these knights could have a go in killing him?_

"Hood served his purpose right and silently watched over my step daughter these past few days." The attention was brought back to the Queen. "But nothing in my power could have ever protected her from her most deadly enemy…" she paused, everyone hanging on her every word in suspense "…herself."

Another gasp burst from the Queen's audience and Robin could see through her mask of lies that she was enjoying this far too much. He was afraid of where this was leading and hoping he would be able to exit the throne room with his head still in place.

"I had noticed yesterday that Snow's maid seemed at unease with something when she came to retrieve her for their morning walk." The Queen mocked her audience by pretending she cared and, surprisingly so, most of the men seemed to believe every word she said. "And as Hood reported to me later that day, the maid had found out about the princess' plans and urged her to not go through with them." She looked down at her shoes for a moment, a tear falling perfectly from her left eye, "a plan that resulted in my eminent demise."

_What an artist that woman was._

The men were murmuring again but in sympathetic tones. _How was she able to do this?_

"I learned yesterday that Snow was the one behind my husband's passing, and that _she_ had helped the murderous genie escape. And that _she_ was now planning my own passing." The Queen continued bringing her hand to rest on her heart, or where it should be, because from what Robin had gathered the woman clearly did do make much use of it, maybe it was also out there in that vault near his.

"And so, upon learning her secret had been discovered, my twisted step daughter murdered her maid, right there, in the middle of the forest. Hood had tried to help her but she had been stabbed too many times and sadly passed away in his arms."

_What?_

"And so, as a reward for services to protect the crown, I award Robin Hood the post of captain of my personal guard."

_WHAT?_ Robin's mind screamed, and that seemed to be the general consensus amongst the men too; all eyes went back to Robin with clear confusion and skepticism. He could see the Queen grin at him lightly for a second through the sea of faces before him.

"Things around here will change drastically from this day on; I cannot let rest the attempt on my life and the murder of the King now that I know who is responsible." She took a more firm tone now, letting only a bit of that masterfully faked, heartfelt expression linger. "I am fortunate enough to know in whom I can trust; you, my loyal knights. And the time has come to repay you for your loyalty, and also to give those who truly deserve, and take from those who don't."

_What was she on about?_

"And so, I issue from this day forward, that all noble people be removed from my castle immediately. They have done nothing to deserve their luxurious accommodations and to live under my roof and use my expenses other than simply being born with that right."

She spat those last words and Robin could feel the men around him get excited with what was unfolding before their eyes. "Furthermore, I have assembled only my finest, most deserving men here today. You, along with your families, may take the lodgings that will now be vacated."

Great shouts of joy burst throughout the room, men screamed "Long live the Queen!" and roared with happiness. The man cheered and embraced each other in absolute glee as the Queen simply stood there, that fake smile plastered on her lips.

This woman was as cunning as a fox; she had been able to manipulate all those men who had been completely loyal to her husband to eat out of her hand with just a simple speech. She had also managed to clear his name with her army and give him a post he was not entirely sure he actually wanted.

'_Captain of her personal guard'?_

Robin did not know the first thing about being a pawn, a soldier, and nor did he have any desire to. This would prove to be very trying both for him and for her.

He continued leaning against the wall, now dumbfounded due to the events that were unfolding in front of him. He was thankful, however, that for once, soldiers were not gathering up to hunt him down. It made a refreshing change.

The Queen kept smiling as all her men boasted and cheered, her fingers entwined about her middle. She cleared her throat and silence invaded the room, the air had now a newfound, excited electricity.

"Now," she started clear as the day, giving orders, "Rickon, I want you to take your men and start a search of the east side of the kingdom for Snow White and her accomplice the Genie. Mulok you and your men will take the west side in search of her. Williams I want you to take your men and search for her in the Southern areas, near the boundary with king George's lands. And Dulok, take yours and search the north." She took a deep breath before continuing; "We will find Snow White… and make her pay the price of treason."

There was a great loud cheer from the Queen's audience.

"Evans, I will give you the task of ridding my castle of nobility. Your men are to remove my unwanted subjects." Her voice was certain, she arched one of her eyebrows and completed; "by whatever means necessary. I want them gone today."

Excitement crackled in the air but the room was silent, all waiting for the Queen's next words.

"You may leave." She waved a dismissive hand towards the crowd.

Abnormally, in unison, all the men bowed to the Queen. Robin was the only one left facing her, the awe in his features betraying his feelings.

The heads lifted in turns, all giving the Queen one last nod of the head before exiting the room. She returned most of the gazes, nodding about half of the time.

Soon enough the room was almost empty, one of the eldest men bowed before the Queen, speaking something to her in a hushed tone, to which she replied with a small smile. That smile, much to Robin's astonishment, reached her eyes and seemed genuine. Her eyes sparkled.

The man in question turned around, he was half-bald, the only hair remaining on his scalp was white, and had gentle eyes. He was a little heavy and had a distinctive way of walking. Not military but noble. Noble and yet kind. Not the type Robin would think the Queen would have residing in her castle, and yet the man walked without fear towards the double doors. He stopped just outside the room to regard the Queen once more, who, in her turn, gave him a nod and another one of those rare smiles. He reciprocated the gesture, took both rings that adorned the doors and gently closed them behind him.

Robin noticed now he had been left alone with the Queen. He still had not budged from his spot against the cold wall, watching her gaze reside on the double doors after the old man.

"That was some speech, huh?" Robin said in a conversational tone, his arms crossing in front of him, "I almost believed you myself, and I know the truth."

The Queen's gaze snapped his and she narrowed her eyes at his words. After a second, she widened them in her impressive impersonation of innocent, doe eyes and faked a smile that almost reached her eyes. This woman could apparently fake her way into anything, could easily convince anybody of anything she wanted to. But somehow he could see through the façade all the other men seemed to buy. He saw the real thing. Right now, for instance, he could see that despite her victory she was bitter, lonely and mean. Robin wondered if this new perception was due to his lack of having a heart beating in his chest.

"I do not know what you mean, Hood." she said simply.

"Your majesty, if I could ask you something."

She huffed at his request, "If you must."

"I would ask of you to not call me Hood. I much rather prefer your insulting nicknames than that," he said bitterly. "Hood has been gone for a while. None of that man remains."

She looked at him gravely for a moment, a frown adorning her forehead.

"Very well." she said finally "But I cannot go about calling the captain of my personal guard 'outlaw' in public."

She started making her way down the cold stone steps in his direction, her velvet-clad hips swayed, making it very difficult for Robin to concentrate on the conversation in hand. "I will have to content myself in insulting you when we are in more...private settings."

She got nearer and nearer, and yet Robin did not budge. "My birth name is Locksley, Robin of Locksley."

The Queen's footsteps halted at his words.

"A noble name?" He nodded once in confirmation. "Who would have known?"

She chuckled slightly as her eyebrows rose in amusement, resuming her journey towards him with a smug grin.

The closer she got, the angrier he became, as if she was the only person who was able to ignite any kind of feeling in his cold, hollow chest. Maybe the person who took away your heart was the only person able to make you feel. It seemed plausible; Robin could not fathom why she, of all people, made him feel so alive.

She was four, three, two feet away and she did not stop. When she was one foot away she placed her hands on the wall either side of his head and leaned her weight onto them. She bent her arms, getting closer. She was almost his height, and Robin couldn't help but marvel at how high those heels she was wearing must have been. Robin's blood was boiling hot, his eyes widened as her gaze took on an even more seductive edge.

Her mouth was mere inches from him when she uttered, "Robin of Locksley it is." Robin could not believe his name could sound so sensual on her lips, it rolled off the tip of her tongue as she spoke slowly, looking him in the eye.

Her lips then curved into a malicious smile, and Robin took it as an opportunity to take a chance.

"So tell me your majesty," he said casually, he brought the hand on his free side up, brushing his fingers lightly and steadily against the Queens's private parts through her dress. She let out a small surprised gasp and her mouth remained slightly opened, her grip on the wall almost faltering. Now it was Robin's turn to smirk, the courageous hand retreating and finding its way to run through his hair, as his voice turned suggestive "What would my duties be? In full detail."

The hand fell to his side again as the Queen's gaze burned into his, a mix of anger, amusement and oh yes, sexual heat playing around her dark orbs.

"That will depend on how you behave, thief,-" she said, her voice a little darker, their faces were still mere inches away. She leaned in further, whispering, "-there are so many possibilities" in a tone that made it clear it would not be all 'guarding'. Their breaths mingled in the small space between them and Robin could taste her bittersweet lips already. But the witch pulled back at the last second, pushing her weight from the wall and turning her back to him.

_Fucking tease._

Before Robin could think up of a proper come back she managed to make him speechless.

_Her back._

The back of the _fucking_ dress.

Or the _lack_ of a back to the fucking dress. It made up for the frustrating, depressingly chaste front, that was most certain; a deep 'V' cut was the biggest feature, exposing nearly all of her naked back. That same back he had pressed himself against the day before, the skin that he knew felt like silk against his rough-skinned fingers…

"You will accompany me on all my journeys, those will mostly be hunts." The Queen said suddenly, Robin took a few moments to register she was actually addressing his earlier question in a rather normal tone.

"You hunt, your majesty?" he inquire, honestly curious.

"Of course I do." she said turning to face him again "My favorite prey is young women who former bandits let get away."

She lifted one perfect eyebrow and Robin fisted his hands, pulling his weight from the stone wall for the first time. She huffed in his direction and continued; "You will assist me in planning those journeys. I assume you have enough knowledge of this land to manage that. And you will be on duty _any_ time I call you."

But those last words Robin were hardly registered for when she uttered them she threw her high ponytail from one shoulder to the other exposing to his sight a red mark on her neck. The mark he had made the day before. It stood out on her milky skin, red, calling him. His eyes were glued in the newly exposed skin and he unconsciously drew his lower lip into his mouth, biting down.

"I see you got yourself injured on your way back to the tree house yesterday," she continued, breaking the spell, she motioned to the bandage on his forehead and he had to bite down a laugh; she knew very well that she was the one who was responsible for that injury, and several others along his body.

"I cannot have the man who protects me be light headed because of his stupidity and lack of care, can I?"

She waved her hand and Robin felt the injured skin on his forehead come together, healing abnormally fast. Even though he was being healed it was not soothing, nor pleasant; it stung and burned and gave him a mighty headache. The bandage fell from his head and Robin brought one hand up to inspect her work. All he found was unharmed skin, as if the abrasion had never even been there.

He could see her smirk at his bewilderment as she approached him once more, she took quicker steps this time and immediately brought her hands to the top buttons of his shirt and undid them.

"Look at that," she said while inspecting the work her own nails had done on his neck, "were you attacked by some sort of animal? I gathered you'd be a match for any beast…" she brought one hand to his neck and traced his injuries, her touch light and enticing. "I will have to start to rethink your post." She continued with a malicious smirk. "Although I do think you rather enjoyed your time with that beast."

"Of that you can have no doubt your majesty." Robin retorted, daring to loosen up and keep up with her suddenly flirtatious tone. Her eyes left his injuries and met his, sparkling with amusement. "The beast was quite alluring."

She lifted an eyebrow and smirked. She was again suddenly so close, her fingers still drew patterns on his neck. Suddenly the bitter and painful sensation he had felt on his forehead spread through his neck where her fingers had touched.

_She could not be… Was she healing him there as well?_

She was.

When the contact ceased, she examined his neck and drawing a breath she told him; "I'll leave this red one."

Much to Robin's enjoyment, she brought her mouth close to his neck and licked the red mark she had created in her ecstasy. She withdrew her mouth from him and licked her dark red lips, "I like this one."

That did it for Robin; for the past two days this woman had taunted and teased him as if he was some sort of pet she could play around with.

_Well, no more_; Robin was no such thing.

Something inside Robin snapped and the tingling trail her tongue had left on his now-healed neck encouraged Robin to take control over this seemingly impossible situation.

He quickly took her by the wrist of the hand that had been tracing his flesh. The Queen only had time to gasp at his swift actions before he moved behind her, pressing her body against the cold wall and pinning her there with his own weight. Still gripping her wrist and taking a hold of the other with his free hand, he secured both against the wall to her side, his knuckles brushing against the hard wall. She quickly turned her face to the side, the side that carried his red mark, her eyes burning on him.

"What the hell do you think you…" she started but he cut her off when he pushed his hips forward so she could feel what she was doing to him. With his erection already painfully tight inside his trousers, he ground once against her velvet clad arse. He groaned and could make out a small moan escape her lips despite her best efforts to keep a straight face. His lips brushed the shell of her ear as he spoke, his voice low, "I may work for you now, your majesty. But do not think for a single moment that you will get to play with fire and not get burned."

Her breathing grew heavier at his words, before he continued; "I'm not like your pathetic little knights who cower around your skirts."

Her mouth was hanging slightly open, somewhat shocked at his boldness. Robin knew that this was madness and it could most certainly get his sorry ass killed, but he could not take any more of her teasing without having her have a taste of her own medicine.

"I'm that one man who is more than willing to get under those skirts and make you beg to be fucked into oblivion." He groaned against her ear and the Queen shivered. There was a pause and she turned to look him dead in the eye.

"Promises, promises," she provoked with a smirk.

Robin then saw red. That color, so new and yet so fitting for when he was in the company of this maddening woman. She drove him insane with anger, and crazy with lust, both feelings so strong. They were only a trace when he was alone, but when he had his body pressed against hers they were almost too much to bear.

Robin groaned and put a small distance between his body and the Queen's, but still held her wrists firm against the wall. Her immediate reaction was to whimper but Robin could not care less about her reactions this time; his mission crystal was clear in his mind.

The thief took one good look at the exposed flesh of her back and smirked. He lowered his head to the base of the deep V shaped cut that adorned the back of the dress, it rested very nice and low, exposing a lot of skin. He then drew his tongue up her spine ever so slowly, basking in the taste of her milky and smooth flesh.

The Queen let out a shaky breath, followed by a small moan when he reached her neck. He made his way down again but this time kissing and biting a hot trail on her skin down the center of her spine. The Queen whimpered again and Robin grew more confident with each reaction.

When his hot mouth reached the end of the V he remained there, sucking and biting the tender flesh. The Queen gave out small moans, her hands far from resisting his grip, eyes shut and mouth still hanging slightly open.

Robin wanted nothing more than to tear that dress apart and fuck her from behind, his desire for her only growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. But this was his opportunity to make her wait for change, it was his turn to torture her, his turn to have her moan helplessly for his flesh against hers.

Robin had always liked living on the edge. The thrill that she might summon her magic at any moment and cut the encounter short – which would be most unwelcome – drove him to do everything his instincts told him to. There was no holding back, he would taste her, try her and tease her as much as he could.

He trailed his way back up with his tongue tracing the edges of the deep 'V'. He made his way to her shoulder blades, taking small bites that made the Queen hiss in between her clenched teeth. When he got back to her neck he bit down on the red mark he had created there the day prior.

"Oh look at that, your majesty" he hissed in her ear, his voice low, "You got yourself one of those too."

He bit down again and she hissed, her arse bucking in the direction of his hard member, "But I must say yours looks very faint. Allow me to assist you with that, your majesty."

With that he brought his mouth on her pulse point and sucked hard.

The Queen released a strangled moan, her eyes still shut as he sucked with all his might. He wanted to leave that mark well taken care of so she would not forget he was not to be toyed with. He was not some sort of servant she could order around. And if she wanted to play, he was not going down without a fight. As he sucked, he felt his mind whirl and his head go dizzy, the zapping sensation had been moderate until now. But now that he liberated as much anger and wanton towards her as he could manage, it became almost unbearable to withstand.

He drew away after a few minutes inspecting the much deeper color the mark now possessed. He smirked at his handy work and the Queen opened her eyes slowly, completely focused on his firm grip on her hands; the only contact that connected them. Her breathing had become heavy and her cheeks bore a distinct crimson color.

_Good girl._

"You..." her voice was low and dangerous, she had that hate mingled with desire look he felt mirrored in his soul.

"Yes, your majesty; me." he said, interrupting her.

He suddenly loosened his grip on both her hands, but before she could react to her newfound freedom, one of his strong hands found her shoulder and turned her around to face him. The Queen tried to gasp but it was muffled by his mouth as it came crashing down hers.

Her mouth felt so soft against his rash one, his kiss was not slow or tentative like it had been the day before, rather demanding and hungry. She responded with the same eagerness, her mouth attacking his own, much like the fictional beast she had just teased him with. Her hands were quick to find their way to his arse and pull him flat against her body, she squeezed, digging her nails deep into the fabric of his pants.

Their tongues met and the connection burned. It singed Robin's tongue, set alight to his desire and ignited his lust. It made its devastating way down his spine and hardened even more his length. His own hands held on tight to the back of the Queen's head and neck, pulling her impossibly close to him.

It did not seem enough, though. The contact, though maddeningly intense, was not enough. He needed to touch more skin, needed to have his mouth trace every inch of her, to be buried ball deep inside her to feel satisfied.

Their tongues danced quickly, making a quick game of their kiss, both testing each other, trying to take as much from the other as they could, not a drop of compassion in the mix. The kiss was desperate; they were clinging so much to each other it seemed as if this was to be their very last moment.

The Queen broke the desperate kiss only to immediately start to nibble his lower lip, nipping the flesh with the very tip of her teeth, making him feel a stinging bite that drew a hiss. She used her tongue to trace his bottom lip, her eyes wide open, staring holes into his lips when she didn't have them between her teeth.

She drew back slightly back and Robin opened his eyes to see her mouth all smeared with red, matching the color on her cheeks. Her breathing was erratic and her eyes were filled with lust, dark and demanding.

Her hands left his backside only to find their way to the lapels of his shirt, pulling him to her for another hot kiss. This one, however, was more languid and Robin found they were both more able to enjoy each other. Taking it more slowly than before, their tongues brushed with one another, tasting… testing… savoring.

The hand that held onto the back of the Queen's head started making its way south. It travelled down until it reached her hip and squeezed hard, their mouths still attached to each other. Her hands travelled up and grabbed the back of his neck, forcefully bringing him even closer to her.

The Queen tilted her head in such a way that Robin was able to explore her lush, delicious mouth more deeply. The crackling energy they both shared was intense and Robin could feel the Queen shiver under his touch.

The hand that rested on the nape of her neck trailed down and cupped one of her breasts through the fabric of her dress. Robin smirked against her mouth when he felt the material was the only thing covering her chest, but he still cursed the damned garment for having no neckline whatsoever. He had to content himself with feeling her through the fabric, unless he undressed her completely, which did not sound like a bad idea at all…

Suddenly a high-pitched scream invaded his senses and they immediately drew away from each other. Robin's eyes followed the same path as the Queen's as she glanced at the closed doors. They heard hurried footsteps, several. There were several people running, and it seemed as if they were heading towards that very room.

Robin regarded the Queen who had remained static with her back resting against the wall, her eyes glued to the door and her expression unreadable.

As if on cue, the doors burst open and several regally clad people ran inside and headed towards the throne altar. Some of the Queen's guards quickly followed them. They all stopped on their tracks, however, when they realized their ruler was not there.

Robin counted seven nobles; they had probably been chosen to represent their disgusting class. Five men and two women, they all had to be older than himself, he could guess that the youngest in the group, a round fellow with an uneven beard, had to be in his mid-forties at least. They were all clad from head to toe in luxury. All adorned with expensive jewelry and fine fabrics, the vision of their arrogant faces combined with their riches made Robin sick to his stomach. These were the kind of people he hated the most.

Robin could see the ghost of a smirk in the Queen's swollen lips as she lifted her back from the wall and stepped to stand in front of the open doors.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the Queen asked in her usual loud and commanding tone. She stood there, arms crossed and, to Robin's utter shock, lips perfectly painted with crimson.

He brought one hand to his lips and was astounded to find that the red that had been there only a moment ago was all gone. The Queen, apparently, did think of everything.

His attention was brought back to the issue in place by one of the noble people that had barged into the room. A woman, who had to be past her fifties, with a snobby attitude, her nose was so high up and the expression on her face so twisted with arrogance she looked as if she had horse shit under her nose.

"Your majesty!" The woman was breathless, probably due to the exercise of running that she was clearly not used to. "Your knights gave gone completely insane!" her voice rose up higher into a screech, "They have the audacity to say that they are acting on your commands." She let out a disgusted laugh, "That you yourself just commanded them to remove all of us from the castle!"

There was silence. Silence in which every single person in the room regarded the Queen intensively. The guards had an excited glee in their eyes, confusion and pride played in the noble people's features and as for Robin; he just wondered if he was going to be left high and dry once more.

The Queen's face was the spitting image of indifference as she regarded the woman.

"They were." She said, her voice low, her eyes going wide as a small mad glimmer played there.

"I beg your pardon your majesty?" the woman asked, affronted.

"They were following my orders." The Queen's voice was dangerous and her expression quite evil. She seemed to be enjoying herself a lot more than one should when banishing guests from their castle.

Robin had to wonder why she had such an attitude towards the kind of people that she had seemingly grown up alongside with, despite having also been of noble birth and had lived his life despising the kind himself. He suppressed the small voice in the back of his head that told him that they were not so different after all.

The woman gasped, her eyes going wide. The Queen smiled a wicked smile.

"You see, you are of no use to me my dears," she said simply "You never really earned anything you were given, you just took." She started walking towards the now terrified woman, "Well, that is not going to happen anymore, not under my roof."

She halted about five feet from the woman tilting her head to the side, "So I would advise you to leave now before I make you."

One of the men of the group, the youngest, round one, dared to step forward.

"You?" he spat "You will make us?"

_Wrong move, mate._

Robin could see the Queen's satisfied expression twist into rage and almost felt sorry for the poor man.

"Yes," she said, her head high and her eyes bared a hint of that madness Robin had experienced firsthand the day before.

One of her hands rose and the man was lifted from the ground by her invisible magic. The people around him backed off gasping and his body flew in the air until he roughly collided face-first with the wall Robin had been trapping the Queen against only moments ago.

Under everybody's dumbfounded gaze, the Queen walked to where the man still hovered, feet off of the ground by centimeters. When she reached him she turned him around with a flick of her hand. He had gotten a harsh bruise on his face, and his nose and an abrasion on his cheek now bled due to the impact. He looked at the Queen with fear and dread, barely able to make out a word as she came closer and grabbed his throat.

"Yes." she repeated, looking him dead in the eye and setting free an evil laugh "Me."

And with that she spun her wrist and with a strength Robin imagined was ignited by magic, snapped the man's neck.

The man's limp, dead body fell at her feet.

Dead silence.

The Queen kept her gaze fixed on the stone wall in front of her and lowered her voice; "I will not give any more warnings."

She turned to face the terrified group, "You can either leave through the door or through the window." Her hand pointed to each exit in turn, before she placed it on her hip and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Whichever suits you best. Although I find that the sport of tossing people of high birth into hard surfaces is most thrilling. So I would suggest you make up your minds quickly."

There was a beat, and then the snobbish nobles were out of the door so quickly Robin was impressed. They all did bow when they passed the Queen by, who was still standing in front of the double doors. Hurried gestures of absolute fright as opposed to the respect the gesture usually required. The guards remained, all looking at the Queen and expecting her next orders.

She remained where she was, not moving a hair and uttered "clean up this mess" before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

That had been the last time Robin saw the Queen over the next five days. Times had been quite busy, with these so called 'new arrangements' the Queen had come up with. Although the promise of having their necks snapped did frighten most of the nobles away, a few of them did not believe the tale spreading throughout the castle. They were most fortunate that the Queen had not appeared after her little murderous show, and so they were not met with the same fate as the man who dared to question her. They were, however, forced out of the castle anyway and the methods had been far from gallant.

Robin had been given accommodations inside the castle, a spacious room with a large bed and scarce furniture. The room was mostly bare, but it fitted Robin's needs well enough.

When he had first walked in he was met with the sight of a young woman laying down a pile of clothing on the bed. She had looked up startled when he walked in, and quickly made her curtsies and scampered out of the room. Robin could not help but linger his gaze on her behind as she walked away. He was, after all, a hot-blooded male still. And the young maid was a fine little thing, although her behind was no match for the Queen's.

Robin's duties so far had been unpleasant and downright irritating. Although no man had dared ordered him around, which he found was a blessing since he would have probably killed any man who tried to look down on him or command him to do anything.

In the past five days he had been showered with reports from all of the scouts the Queen had sent in search of the 'murderous' Snow White, but Robin was never able to deliver the news the royal desired.

Every day he would approach the room he knew she locked herself in and everyday he knocked. Every day, the old man to whom the Queen had honestly smiled for would come out of the room. Every day he would ask if any of the searches had been successful and everyday Robin gave a negative response. The man would then tell him that the Queen did not want to hear any report if it was not positive and would just send him away.

This whole process of being bombarded by scouts and then rejected by the Queen was starting to get to Robin's last nerve. He was bored. Without his heart, he had not pondered on the events that had haunted his dreams for the past year, and now he did not dream at all.

He felt trapped by the chilly stone walls of the castle and would – more regularly than he should – escape to the openness of the small forest that surrounded it. He would venture to the woods, mostly at night, when the scouts and soldiers bearing news and requests stopped tormenting him. There he sat his nights away, thinking, pondering and reveling on the numbness that had invaded his chest.

He made it a habit of always bathing in the river, the same river where she had seen him take care of something he thought she should have finished, just to spite her.

_Damn her._

Even with his hollow chest, every inch of Robin's skin ached for her.

When the fifth day went by and still he had not even seen the shadow of the Queen, Robin started considering his options for tending to his needs. He had fared well enough for the past year without the warmth of human touch, he would normally stroke himself from time to time and that seemed to be satisfactory. Back then he could not bear the thought of lying with another woman after what had happened to Marian.

But ever since he first laid his eyes on the Queen something inside him snapped, he felt that electric current caused by her touch run through his veins, it ran through his entire being. Moreover, ever since he had the Queen gasping and writhing underneath him as they both came, it was as if she had started a fire that had to be continuously tended to, otherwise it would burn down the entire castle and everything in it. And taking care of business himself, although relieving, never really sated his soul.

He had thought long and hard about just breaking into her chambers and getting what he wanted, he knew she was very willing to give it to him, given her breathy responses to his lips on her skin, but in the end he decided against it. She was indeed mercurial, absolutely unpredictable, and such a move could result in his demise, something he had once craved for, but now did not seem like the best of ideas.

Therefore, he actually considered making a move on the petite chambermaid that always came knocking on his door every morning. She would walk in, shy and meek with a fresh change of clothes for him, and she would parade her petite little ass through his room, making his bed under his watchful eye. Maybe he could have a female hand on his cock that did not belong to a selfish bitch for a change.

But come the next day, Robin having made a solid plan to get the girl bending over the bed, not to do her usual job but so he could just fuck his tensions away, she had not shown. He was already half hard at the thought of his plan coming to pass and, once again, he had to take things into his own frustrated, calloused hands.

All he wanted was smooth flesh enveloping his cock, was that too much to ask for?

_Apparently so._

There had only been dismal, cloudy days ever since Robin took residence in the castle, this day was not any different. As he made his way from the dining hall after he broke his fast, men would now nod his way but never engage in conversation, and Robin wondered if living here was all worth it.

Hurried footsteps attracted his attention to the corridor ahead and the heads of other people walking around also turned in the direction the noise came from. Soon enough Robin found that the noise originated from a breathless young man heading in his direction. He must have been a pageboy, not a day older than 20. The young man stopped on his tracks right in front of Robin, blocking his way. Robin frowned.

"Sir." The youth said, he was rather breathless and was trying to catching his breath. In these few moments, Robin recognized him. He had been one of those boys who had talked about the Queen in the tavern. His words still rang in Robin's mind _'the new Queen's beauty was unrivalled'_. Back then, Robin would have never guessed he would be able to attest to that statement due to experience.

"Sir, the Queen demands your presence in the council chamber at once." The boy said before looking down.

_The Queen demands, now, does she?_

_This should be interesting._

The boy led him to this so-called 'council chamber'. There were two guards standing by the grand oak double doors, with the boy left behind, Robin approached them. Both nodded his way and drew their lances away from the door.

Robin opened the doors and walked in. The room was very grand and well lit by torches that covered half of the walls. The ceiling was high and great stone pillars supported it from many places in the room. There was a great fireplace that faced a round table, the table – despite being very large – had only one chair, beautifully carved, and cushions of a deep red velvet.

Wonder whose arse sits there…

The owner of that arse – along with everything else that had been haunting his thoughts for the last week – was suddenly there, standing in front of the table looking at him. Her usual expression of disdain and boredom was on today, and Robin's hopes of a good fuck began to fade. Especially since today she was clad head to toe in black, the material covered her entire figure. True, the black in particular was leather, so the tight long skirt did accentuate the Queen's hips and thighs. But this time not even her neck was exposed, it was trapped by a choker necklace. The dress was tight as ever, but all her supple flesh was covered in many different types of black material. She had a funny, reddened stripe of hair in her fancy up do that Robin found rather unnecessary.

"You have a visitor, Locksley." She told him, her arrogant tone masking a trace of amusement.

A visitor? Who could possibly…?

But his trail of thought was interrupted when his eyes came to rest on this so called 'visitor'. Standing there, only ten paces away from him, was the man who had sworn to have his head. The man who he had saved Marian from all those years ago. The man who had made his life a living hell and forced him and his merry man to live on the run, always looking over their shoulder.

The Sheriff.

He looked as smug as ever as he regarded Robin with his nose stuck up.

Robin was glad that all the feelings he held towards that man had been diminished by his lack of heart. For if he still had the thing beating in his chest, he was pretty sure he would have gone for the man's throat as soon as he saw him.

"Robin Hood, we meet again." He greeted, with a broad, false smile. "I must say you look rather more beaten than the last time I saw you. Don't tell me you are still upset about that girl you stole from me!"

Anger hovered and hovered where Robin's heart used to lay. That man _dared_ to talk about Marian.

"I must say though, that I have you to thank for taking her away." He continued and Robin fought against his every urge to attack him, but if he went in the direction Robin feared he was delving into, he could not be held responsible for his actions.

"You must know I beat you to it when it came to… having her." Robin had to close his eyes to block out the murderous thoughts entering his head. "And I must say I found her most lacking."

Robin was ready to pounce at his throat and turn his neck around. He swallowed and finally replied.

"It's probably because she did not give you her consent to have her." He roared.

"That might be it. Although I'm pretty sure she simply lacked that kind of spice."

Robin then looked at the Queen, his eyes burning, asking her silently to finish this insect off. Her face remained unmoving.

"Ah, so it is true." The sheriff said noticing his actions "You are really a servant of the Queen now." He clicked his tongue and Robin clutched his hands into fists. "Who would have thought?"

"What do you want?" Robin spat.

"Isn't it obvious?" the sheriff stated raising both his eye brows; "You."

There was a pause before he continued; "You see, I'm here to hold you accountable for every crime you've committed, every penny you stole, every loaf of bread that you distributed, prince of thieves." The sheriff spat his former title, "And I, as the sheriff, have good authority to take you away and let justice be served now that the Queen has been so kind to locate you."

He then looked at the Queen and gave her a fake, cheery smile, which she returned whole-heartedly, the amusement in her eyes making Robin feel what lack of sentiment he had evaporate to give place to a feeling red as blood. His head was thumping, throbbing, it ached due to the amount of hate and anger he felt for that woman.

_Was she really going to let this pathetic man take him? After all they had been…_

No. Robin could not have fooled himself to believe that because of mere glimpses of something different between hot kisses and unearthly fucking that she had developed any kind of sentiment towards him; she was a heartless bitch, and this was what heartless bitches did. They fucked you up. Quite literally.

She looked at Robin long and hard, her expression doing nothing to betray her thoughts.

"So Locksley," she started "as this man points out, you two have unfinished business to attend to." She turned to face the sheriff and took exactly three steps in his direction, the sheriff smirked and so did she.

But the sheriff's gleeful expression turned into a terrified one once the Queen raised her hand and a cloud of smoke swallowed his entire body.

Robin's mouth was hanging while opened when the smoke disappeared and in the place that once stood his deadly enemy rested a slug.

The Queen huffed and smirked beholding her work, she looked up to face Robin, an eyebrow raised; "So finish it."

She turned her back on the sheriff-turned-into-slug and walked towards the round table.

Robin watched her in awe as she, turned, leaning backwards on the wooden surface, her hands either side of her hips before she sat on it, staring at him with dark amusement lighting up her features.

"Well, I haven't got all day thief." She said once she had settled on the oak table.

Robin regarded her, long and hard. He then looked down at the slug that had raped his wife. He looked back at the Queen, her eyes wide with excitement that seemed oddly contagious, for he felt it hit him right in the middle of the chest.

Without a second thought, Robin brought the sole of his boot to meet the pathetic slug with thunderous strength. He leaned all the weight his body possessed on that one foot and twisted it, enjoying the wet squelch as he squashed the existence of that foul creature into oblivion. His gaze burning holes into his boot.

When he looked back at the Queen, his foot still crushing the sheriff, he could not help but give her a wide, truthful and yet malicious smile. Surprisingly so, she returned the gesture offering him a smile that could have belonged to a naughty, young woman who had just been caught being up to no good.

The first laugh that erupted in that huge chamber, however, belonged to her. Due to the high ceiling, the sound travelled and reverberated loudly on Robin's ears, but he did not care; soon he joined her and their noisy laughs filled the room completely.

She threw her head back, eyes shut, laughing her heart out. Robin could not help but think she looked her best like this; careless, eyes shut, feet dangling from the table… she looked stunning.

When their laughter ceased, Robin's eyes were filled with tears and he pinched the bridge of his nose, using his thumb and forefinger to wipe away the moisture in the corners of his eyes.

He approached her and stopped to her right side at a respectable distance, simply saying; "Thank you."

She regarded him for a while, her cheeks red from her outburst. She inhaled and exhaled before replying; "remember that I have told you; you are _mine_." Her tongue caressed the word 'mine' the same way Robin had been daydreaming about it caressing his cock for the last five days. "I was not going to have a ridiculous, little sheriff parade inside my castle, give that spectacle and not face the consequences. He brought it on himself. Wouldn't you agree?" she finished, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course, your majesty" he answered, stretching her title, "I was only doing your bidding, we cannot have scum like that addressing a Queen the way he did." She smirked at his words and Robin took his chance. "Can I be of any more service to you, your majesty?"

"Yes. Yes you can." She responded, sitting back more on the table, the back of her knees coming in contact with the wooden edge. She looked him right in the eye, flames igniting passion behind her eyes, and said two words that made Robin's head explode.

"Fuck me."

Robin's whole world went red all over again, but this time it was due to a far better sensation than the empty rage he had felt at the sight of the sheriff. His eyes widened at her words and she smiled at him, parting her legs, her feet lifting from the ground. He situated himself in between them in seconds, gripping both sides of her thighs and pulling her closer to him.

Before he could think what he was doing, his mouth crashed onto hers and Robin felt fireworks on the pit of his stomach. Kissing this woman was like nothing he had ever experienced before; it burned and it soothed, it killed him and then made him feel so very alive, going through the motions a million times every second.

The Queen's arms rapidly snaked their way around his torso, bringing him closer to her as she released small moans against his mouth. Her thighs had a death grip around his waist as she returned his fervent, open-mouthed kisses with eagerness.

Robin's hands began to travel the expanse of her back, searching for laces or anything of the sort that retained that wretched dress to her body. He was frustrated to find nothing, since the leather was thick and he could hardly even feel her through it.

Aware of his attempts to undress her, the Queen smirked against his mouth, but instead of helping him, she simply chuckled. Her mouth trailed its fiery, blazing way down his throat, and she masterfully unfastened the first buttons of his shirt with only the assistance of her teeth. She placed bites over his exposed chest, licking them ever so lightly after wards, driving Robin insane and hardening his cock to the full.

She licked her way up to his neck, her hands squeezing his sides with enough pressure to make his skin blanch, Robin was sure she was going to leave nail bites in the region.

Robin's hands were still erratically in search of a clasp, a hook, a lace… anything in order to rid himself of that unnecessary armor she wore.

The Queen reached the spot on his neck where she had left her mark. It had started to fade but Robin was certain she was going to make sure that did not get the chance to happen. Sure enough, she bit down hard and the proceeded to suck, drawing a long groan from somewhere deep in his throat.

After a few minutes ravaging his neck she drew away, all the red paint of her lips left on his neck and chest but a red still adorned her cheeks. She had a smug, dirty smile plastered on her lips and Robin could do nothing but just stare and run his desperate hands along her sides.

She chuckled and brought her own hands to the collar of that monstrosity of a dress. Robin was then able to see a thin line that started at where her hands rested that went down to the hem of the dress. Her hands started working the tiny hooks that had been concealed from his view until now.

Robin could see she was unfastening her dress as slowly as she could, with her lower lip trapped between her teeth, teasing him. As the heavy fabric began to loosen around her body Robin, could see that, to his pleasure yet again, she was not wearing anything whatsoever underneath.

He pounced as soon as his eyes met one of her breasts, he pushed the offending garb away and caught her nipple with his mouth. The moan the Queen gave was full and loud, it reverberated throughout the chamber, hitting Robin's ears several times, and enticing him even more in his activities.

As he placed sucking kisses on her breasts, the Queen managed to somehow continue her task of unhooking her pins. He could feel her hands were shaky, one stayed at her clothing, the other shot to his hair, grabbing a fistful as her cries continued.

When the working hand stopped, Robin drew away from her succulent breasts in order to take a look at her. He had not had the opportunity yet to bask his eyes on her naked figure very much, but what had been uncovered made him mouth water. Her breasts were perfectly round, with dark nipples, not too big, not too small, just perfect. She had managed to open the garb down until her stomach, and Robin's hands were quick to end her handy work.

He got to his knees as he reached her lower hooks and when he was finally done, the Queen awarded him by spreading her legs wide, giving him a front row seat to her slick core.

Robin immediately brought his mouth to her wet folds, making the Queen jump and throw her head back with a loud cry of pleasure, trying to brace her weight on her elbows as best as she could manage. She was quick to bring both legs to his shoulders to urge him even closer to her heat, and pretty soon Robin's hands had a death grip in her meaty thighs.

From this angle, Robin was able to watch her twist and shout rather comfortably as he ate the senses out of her. He sucked her bud with might and she arched her back, her nipples still glistening from the saliva trail he had left behind.

When his tongue found its way inside her entrance, she released a high-pitched squeal of frenzy that drove Robin half-insane.

Robin worked on his belt whilst still nipping at the Queen's bud. His hands were not as sure as they usually were, but he still managed to free his erection and lower his pants and undergarments to his knees in a fairly short amount of time.

She loosened the weight from her arms and lay down on the table, panting raggedly whilst Robin was still using his mouth skillfully enough to drag intermittent screams from her. He drew his mouth away and pinched her clit, whilst rising slowly with her legs still hooked over both his shoulders.

Robin raised his hands and removed her legs from his shoulders, then he spread them further so he could see her watching him with a lustful haze playing in her dark orbs from between her thighs.

He placed her right leg on his right shoulder, took his throbbing member and guided it to her wet entrance, teasing her as she tried to buck herself to him. He rubbed the already slick tip of his cock to her clit which made her hiss, her eyes scrunching shut.

"What do you want, your majesty?" he provoked her, thoroughly loving the death glare she gave him when he spoke with a smirk; "Remember to use your words."

She moaned and whined; "Fuck me already."

Maybe this was not the day she was going to beg him to fuck her with the words he wanted to hear. Had this been another day, another time, and on an occasion where he hadn't been without the addictive feeling of being buried inside the Queen for nearly a whole week, he would have tortured the words out of her. He would have made her moan and plead for him to fill her. But as it was, he was desperate to feel her around him, he was hardly able to contain his own urges and he realized he was not capable of holding back anymore.

Nevertheless, he made a vow to have her beg, someday, _soon_.

And so Robin placed the tip of his cock of her wet slick entrance and caught the leg from his right shoulder. He lifted both legs making a 'V', and buried his length as hard and as deep as he could.

The Queen's response was a loud scream mingled with a moan. The sound travelled through the room and was quickly met by the slapping sounds their joined flesh made every time he pounded into her.

Electricity ran about his body as he fucked that insane woman, his grip on her ankles forcing her knees to bend. He watched her come apart, in awe of how stunning she looked, her eyes closed, her mouth hanging open and her fingers pinching her nipples.

He released one of her legs and let it fall, dangling off the table as he brought his now free hand to massage her bud. The Queen let out a strangled moan when he rubbed her with his calloused archer's fingers. At least someone seemed to appreciate them.

Her hands left her breasts and went to the wooden surface of table so she could lift herself up. Robin released her leg and snaked his arm around her waist to assist her, and before he could register it, she tangled her legs about his middle and her hands flew to his neck, bringing her mouth up to meet his in a kiss.

Their kisses were sloppy and wet as he pounded her, his hands seemed to want to touch everywhere at once.

She was still wearing that choker necklace, and Robin was able to find in the back of his mind the idea that her red mark might also be fading away. He drew away from the kiss, still pumping into her, wrapped his fingers about the choker, and ripped it apart.

The Queen gasped at his actions, her eyes wide in shock, but Robin did not give a flying fuck. The mark was still there, although it was starting to fade away, and he could not have that.

His mouth was fierce on her neck and she gasped, swallowing whatever poisonous words she had planned for him. He sucked the spot good for a few minutes, drawing away to nip and occasionally kiss it.

With his head buried in her neck, he could not only hear all her moans and groans, but felt them against his lips as they mingled with his own as his cock feasted on her core.

When he was satisfied with the amount of red he had left behind on her neck, his mouth returned to hers. They were both clinging so tightly to each other that his strokes became faster and shorter.

Her whole body was pulsating, singing along with his. Their connection was undeniable. Their mouths danced as one as they both found their release, again, at the very same time.

Coming inside that woman had to be one of the best things Robin had ever experienced, and that was saying something; Robin had gained his fair share of experience. But there was something abnormally pleasuring about having his seed invade her, he could not explain it, but his chest felt as if it was opening up with pleasure.

They remained connected for a while, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as he felt her stuttered breaths on his skin.

Robin looked at the crackling fire and wondered how the hell had he gotten in such a position? Not that he was complaining, on the contrary; this was quite a pleasing position to be in. A position in which he could actually touch the damned woman.

She looked so small pressed against him, her dress opened, part of her bare skin exposed to him. Robin guessed that the commanding image was very much attached to the height of the heels she wore and her imposing posture.

She raised her head from his shoulder and met his eyes.

"Very well Locksley," her voice was rather raspy as she brought her index finger to trace his lips. "Your services were more than satisfactory." Her voice was low, her eyes on his mouth.

"Is your majesty in need of a second round?" Robin tried, he noticed his voice was rather hoarse as well, a smirk playing on his lips.

The Queen bit her lip and replied "A second, and then a third, and a fourth… As many numbers as you can give me Locksley."

But before Robin could make good on his promise, an infuriatingly familiar voice reached his ears.

"Your majesty!"

The Queen sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes.

"I'm coming." She said looking at the fireplace.

Robin frowned at her actions.

"Is that…?" he started.

"Yes, it is." She cut him off, Robin's frown became deeper, "I've found a way to keep him… manageable." She told him, her hands pushed at his chest and Robin drew back from the Queen, his body instantly feeling the loss of the vibrant buzz her skin provided.

She quickly fastened all the hooks on her horrid dress as Robin got his pants back up and secured his belt. When she was all done and decent she headed to the fireplace, over to the barely noticeable shelf above it. She reached out for a hand mirror on the shelf that had been covered with a piece of cloth.

She looked at the mirror and bellowed "What?", all her purring and sassiness having left her.

"Your majesty, she's out. She's finally left the castle."

The Queen actually cracked one of her crazy smiles, "Wonderful."

She looked up at Robin; "Locksley, I want my carriage ready to leave at once."

"You've found her then? Snow White?" he asked.

"No, unfortunately some people have been completely useless to me in that department" she regarded the mirror with disdain and then looked back at him with that half-crazed glint playing in her eyes, "But there is another dark haired, young woman that interests me greatly."

**TAM DAM DAM DAAAAAM!**

**I love the cliffhangers I swear to God I could put a cliffhanger in the end of every single chapter if I would.**

**Next chapter we go back to Regina!**

**One more thing before I go. I've been getting loads of reviews from some lovely people who do not have accounts here therefore I cannot reply to their kind words. So instead of posting the replies here I will post them on my tumblr, be sure to check it soon, the link is on my profile ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! First of all I'd just like to say I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. My schedules are crazy, my beta's crazier and we're trying very hard to bring the chapters as fast as we can, but real life – that bitch – always comes in the way.**

**I'm not very coherent right now, it's 10 in the morning and I have not slept yet, have just come back from my first drag show, so you can imagine… I had a fucking blast and I wore my EQ necklace ;)**

**My infinite thanks to my beautiful beta Zoe who is a gem and to all of you who review, favorite a follow this story, those little notices make my day brighter! THANK YOU!**

...

Snow was alive

That damned girl was alive.

Regina could not believe that after all the trouble she had been through, that damned doey-eyed brat managed to get away.

Things would not end like this; Regina would find her. She would find her, and kill her with her own bare hands. Regina longed to feel the girl's blood dripping through her fingers, she longed to see those bright green eyes go wide with despair and then go dull, to see the color extinguish from her cheeks and for her lips to turn chalky and white.

But Regina had to find the damned girl first.

The day after the impossible escape from the archer, Regina planned her words and actions with care. She had to manage to paint Snow as a monster, as a disturbed and murderous little girl to her late husband's men. She had needed to provide a reasonable explanation for the Outlaw's presence, the Princess' disappearance and the sudden desire to have her killed, in addition to encouraging the knights to be willing to serve her without question. Her twisted, fictional tale, combined with her skills of persuasion seemed to do the trick, and Regina had the fools eating out of the palm of her hand.

Regina managed to not only get rid of the unnerving amount of nobility that pestered her castle, but to also appease the men she would need to use to complete her plan.

Although, in addition to the list of Regina's issues, there was also the whole problem about that thief that she could not seem to keep out of her head.

And that particular issue, she hadn't quite resolved yet.

He had grabbed her and whispered words into her ear that both infuriated and enticed her, he had been sure and confident when he had told her that he'd 'make her beg to be fucked into oblivion'. Regina could not possibly let an opportunity to provoke him get away after his insinuations; she had been both terrified and delighted that he met fire with fire.

When he had first pushed her into the wall, instantly Regina had felt like that helpless, 18-year-old bride who knew next to nothing about anything and was absolutely terrified of the notion of a man touching her. Memories of Leopold had flashed before her eyes and Regina felt like crying.

But the thief's touch was not abusive, nothing like the King's had been; it was intense, and instead of hurting her, it warmed her, set a fire alight inside her. It did not demand, but cherished. Regina let her fears slip away when his mouth came in contact with her back. His sucking kisses and bites adored, worshiped her body. They also burned; the electric sensation grew stronger with every new touch.

Regina felt her blood boil when the commotion drew the outlaw's smooth and demanding lips from her warm flesh. But her blood almost evaporated due to the heat of her anger when that man had looked down on her.

She was having no more of that; never again would anybody doubt what she was capable of.

When she felt the life leave the man's body with a mere gesture of her hand, Regina felt an odd jolt of numbness invade her body. It was the usual sensation she felt when taking a life, but she had never had such an audience before. It had been particularly thrilling seeing the fear in the noble people's faces, and the awe mixed with admiration in the outlaw's eyes.

Regina had spent the rest of her day trying every single tracking spell in the book in order to find Snow. But the damned girl seemed to be sheltered from her somehow, and no amount of her own magic had been successful.

In the next few days came reports of the search parties she had sent out. Regina had little interest in learning details; she only wanted to know the answer to one question.

"_Have you found Snow?"_

The endless negative responses made her head burst.

It was on the fifth day of her exhausting and frustrating search that that genie had found a way to reach out to her.

She had been in her personal library, a place concealed from everyone in the castle, one she had built herself through the years and years of magical training. The room had once been a maid's quarters, attached to her own chamber, but had never been used for that purpose.

Regina had found the door that had been concealed by a hideous piece of tapestry leading to it in her first married year. She had found the hidden room - basked in the idea of having a secret place for herself - and set to work in making it her sanctuary. It was the only place in the castle where she truly felt at ease.

There she had hidden the mirror the genie had given to her, and it was through that how she now heard his pleading voice

"Your majesty, your majesty!" he called out. "Please."

Regina had been engrossed in a book about tracking people by personal items, chunks of hair and pieces of flesh. The voice startled her and her gaze shot immediately to where she remembered she had hidden the mirror.

"Please your majesty," he continued. "Regina."

That was it.

Regina practically flew from her seat and in no time, she had the mirror in her grasp, looking at the looming head inside with rage.

"Do not-" she started, her anger cutting her off before she recovered and spat; "Never call me by my given name you-"

"I'm sorry, I-" he pleaded and Regina was disgusted; he was pathetic.

"What do you want from me?" she said in a harsh tone, narrowing her eyes.

"Only to serve you my Queen." he replied, in that meek, pleading tone that made Regina want to hurl.

"You are of no use to me." She spat.

"But I am, my Queen, I am."

"Fine." Regina huffed "Humor me. How?"

"Due to my curse, I am able to travel to any reflective surface in this realm."

"Oh?"

"I can locate Snow White for you."

_Finally! Something this damned, disembodied head said was worth hearing._

"And why haven't you done that yet?" Regina asked, tone still poisonous. She could not help it; that man, that thing, was revolting.

"Because I want to make a deal with you," he explained. "I want you to give me something back for my services."

Regina held back a laugh, "Did you not just say all you wanted to do was serve me?"

"I did, and I do my Queen. All I want is look upon your face." he had that sweet, pleading tone again that made Regina's upper lip curl in disgust. "But I beg you, please, take the spell away from the mirror inside your chambers."

_Oh._

Regina's stomach was flipping upside down. He wanted to see her. Of course, he had been enthralled by her, he said it was love despite Regina knowing it was no such thing; it was lust, a lust that was most certainly not reciprocated.

Regina could not bear the mere idea of having his hovering face looking at her as she went about her chambers, as she changed, as she slept, as she...

"Absolutely out of the question," she said, her head high looking down at the mirror. "I value my privacy more than anything and I am not willing to sell it for Snow's mere location."

"Please your majesty," he begged. "Your face haunts my every thought, I'm completely and helplessly in lov-"

"Do not _dare_ say that!" Regina cut him off fast before he used that word to describe his pathetic, little feelings. "Do you not understand me? I feel nothing but abhorrence for you! Besides, how am I to know that your words are even true? What proof have you of this?"

"I have been looking into the mirrors of the Dark One's castle," he said eagerly. "And have found something quite peculiar."

"What?" she snapped.

The face in the mirror smirked and his image faded away to show her the image of Rumple's castle, more specifically his dining hall. There was, however, something indeed off about the scene, for there was a young woman sitting on the dining table whilst Rumple had his face buried in a book.

The girl tried; "Do you want to talk about it?"

She had a funny accent, Regina noted.

"There is nothing to talk about; I missed the damn knave, end of story." Rumple replied, not moving his gaze from the book.

"You do not fool me." The girl said, looking sympathetically towards him.

_This was indeed peculiar_, Regina pondered.

Rumple did not reply but simply hummed.

The girl hopped out of the table, still regarding Rumple and went to stand beside his chair.

"You are not the man I thought you were." She said, and - to Regina's utter astonishment - leaned down and kissed the Dark One on the cheek, ending with a heartfelt ;"I'm glad."

She gave him one last smile before she left.

Rumple's gaze did not falter from the book. But his hand came to rest where the girl had placed the kiss, and for a moment Regina could see his skin change to a rosier, more human tone. But then the sparkly greenish scales returned.

The image died and the face of the genie reappeared on the mirror, Regina was dumbfounded.

"That was indeed peculiar." Regina said coolly, careful not to demonstrate her excitement. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Belle. She is a princess who has sacrificed her freedom in order to rid her father's kingdom of the ogres pestering it," the genie informed her. "She's bound to serve the Dark One forever."

"Very well, you have given me something of mild value." Regina said, carefully measuring her words, "But nothing could ever buy what you seek."

"Then, your majesty, let me see you once," he begged.

"What are you talking about? You are 'seeing' me as we speak you fool." Regina snapped, becoming irritated at his words.

"No. I wish… I yearn to see all of you, my Queen," he stuttered. "I long to see you in your full glory. I want to see _everything._"

His voice had grown darker and Regina understood now exactly what he meant by 'everything'. But nothing could have ever have prepared her for the next words he uttered.

"I've seen you angry, I've seen you hurt, I've seen many things from you my Queen, but I'm yet to see you pleasured." He spoke slowly and Regina was praying to whichever Gods who lived the skies above that she was hallucinating.

"What?" she hissed feeling her eyes widen.

His response was now quick and desperate "'Please, your majesty, just once, let me see you pleasure yourself, I won't ask again... Just once."

Regina felt bile rise in her throat, her breathing become quicker as her heartbeat raced, she was sure she was going to vomit.

Regina was so shocked for a moment she thought she had forgotten how to move. She was no blushing virgin – far from it – but this request repulsed her. She hated this man, he did not even know her and yet he had claimed to love her. She knew he was only interested in her physical beauty, and she knew it because she had used it to manipulate him, like she had so many others.

There had been something about his reaction, about the way he had looked at her when she had exposed her true colors and confessed she had used him. It was as if he was not even listening to a word she said; she could have used far harsher words and he would still have had the same reactions.

But the moment he made his wish Regina knew for certain that man did not love her. He was just obsessed, crazy about her, but not in love. Regina knew what love looked like, and what played in the genie's eyes was most definitely not it. It had been so long since she had seen love shine in Daniel's eyes, but she could remember it as if it were yesterday.

And although Regina was no expert in the matter, she knew that if you love something, you should want to see the object of your affections content. Never trapped.

He had chosen to chain himself to her. And she had been terrified when the smoke engulfed his figure. Terrified of what that wish would do to her life. She had just broken the shackles that chained her to the King, only to have another man try to trap her.

But he had been the one who ended up imprisoned and Regina had felt like laughing as relief washed over her.

And now he wanted to watch her pleasure herself?

Regina could not say she was surprised that the man, thing, had wanted to see that, but all the same, it shocked her that he had voiced his desires.

Her mind wondered to the image he had shown her of the Dark One and the pretty little brunette. That would be very useful to Regina. That girl was a weak point for Rumple; Regina could see he liked her. And if the genie was able to reach into the mirrors of the dark castle, surely he would be able to locate Snow. And furthermore, act as a spy for Regina, be her eyes…

But the price was far too costly. To bare herself in front of him felt demeaning to Regina, as if she was letting him win over her and Regina did not like that feeling in the slightest. Unless…

Unless she was able to turn the tables in her favor. Unless she was able to get what she wanted, and ensure the genie would never ask for something like this ever again.

The wheels turned inside Regina's head and the answer was simple. So simple a laugh escaped her lips and the hovering head looked puzzled back at her. She met his eyes, her own sparkling with malice. He'd regret having ever asked to watch her.

"Fine." The genie let out a relieved breath Regina noticed he had been holding ever since he had stopped speaking. "I will allow you watch whilst I pleasure myself _once_. Only one time, is that clear?"

"Yes." His voice was raspy.

"But we will do this my way, _mirror_." Regina said quickly.

"Of course, my Queen." His sweet voice was back, and Regina wondered if she was indeed going to be able to go through with her plan without hurling in the process.

"First of all, the deal." Regina started "Since your price is rather… personal, I will only agree to it if we seal it magically. There is a spell, an ancient spell, in which the involved parties make a vow. And if that vow is not fulfilled… the failing party suffers dearly."

"What is the price to be paid for not fulfilling this vow?"

"Life" she said slowly and the mirror's eyes widened. "I would think such a spell is befitting to our situation, don't you?"

"Yes," he breathed.

There. That thing did not love her. Regina hated him even more now.

"Good." Regina faked a smile she knew he would buy, "So on your end of the bargain, you must vow to assist me in anything and everything I require you to. You are to vow to never disrupt me unless you have news that is of importance to me. And also, to never turn against me." She smirked, "Do you agree with my terms?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes I do." The genie said, almost choking on his own words.

"As for me, I will vow to allow you to watch me pleasure myself _once_. I am to call upon you when I am ready and _only then_ you may appear upon the surface of my mirror." She explained, swallowing the bile rising in her throat. "Remember you have to watch the _whole_ thing. Are you sure you can handle that?" She raised one of her eyebrows in challenge, drawing him into her dastardly plan.

"Yes."

Regina smirked and felt truly evil. But in all fairness; he deserved it.

"We make the vow now. But this little show you are making me put on will not happen today, nor tomorrow-" Regina thought through her plan before she continued; "It will happen when you are able to provide me with useful information. Information that will help me take action against my enemies. Do you agree to that?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Good."

Regina left the mirror on the table and headed for one of the many bookshelves she had in her secret library. She ran her fingers along the spines of her precious magical books, looking for the material on Dark Arts Rumple had given to her. He had told her it was from another realm that possessed people who could wield magic, but it was done slightly differently from theirs.

Her fingers met dark green leather with gold embossing and Regina knew she had found the one.

She placed the book on the table and grabbed the mirror once more.

"What is the name of this spell, my Queen?" he asked.

Regina's voice was grave when she answered; "The unbreakable vow."

"And it is called so because…"

"If you fail your vow, you pay the price of its magic with your own life." Regina said, her voice low and dangerous, before she sardonically added; "hence the 'unbreakable' part."

Regina looked away from the mirror and back at the book, starting to chant the magic words of the spell. Since this spell usually just required a wand, she had come up with a verbal incantation to substitute it. Regina always found that those wooden sticks were pathetic; words carried the most powerful magic of all.

Wands were for weak, little fairies. Wands trapped magic and Regina had all the magic she needed flowing through her veins. She had no use for a sparkly stick; her magic was overwhelming enough on its own.

She said her words carefully, making her vow very clear, and so did the hovering head inside the mirror she held on her hand. When he was done speaking, she felt a jolt of magic crackle between the two of them. A thin thread of white magic enwrapped the hand and wrist that held onto the mirror, snaking its way around the handle of the object, binding them in their contract.

The thread faded away and Regina looked at the image in the mirror before declaring; "It is done."

She took a long breath; the spell had drained her somewhat. "Now, I want you to keep an eye on that girl, Belle. Rumple will set her free, I can feel it. He knows she makes him weak." Regina's eyes travelled far off, then snapped back to the mirror. "And when he does I want to be informed immediately. Now leave my sight at once, search for Snow White and only return when you have valuable information. Then will I fulfil my end of the bargain."

"But-" The head was gone before he could even complete his sentence.

_Well, this was just perfect_, Regina wryly thought as she slammed the mirror on the desk

…

_Skin on skin, his touch burned her, his hands made a hot trail on her bare flesh. Her nails dug into his back, he pushed in harder and harder and Regina felt alive like never before. The connection was almost unbearably good when his lips crashed upon hers, hot, wet and savage. Her dark orbs meet his blue ones, his dark blonde stubble prickled her neck, that smell of forest, so revolting and yet so enticing, invading her senses. She wanted to feel this whole always, her skin prickled and she never wanted it to stop... _

Regina awoke with a start and a very undeniable wetness between her legs. Ever since she had sealed the deal with the outlaw, memories of their one time together haunted her dreams.

Well not _haunted;_ they weren't unpleasant memories after all...

How long had it been since she had last seen him? Five, six days? She had been so engrossed in finding a way to locate Snow she had had no time to enjoy the services the outlaw was willing to perform.

This dream in particular had been quite vivid. Regina could still feel the heated trail blazing on her skin, a sensation she had only ever felt with him.

Regina decided even before she had gotten out of bed that she would be having the outlaw between her legs today. She had barely finished her intricate up do – Regina found that the hot pink stripe in her hair served as yet another way of protest against her old way of life – when there was a timid knock on her door.

She flung the door open so fast she thought that the young pageboy who stood on the other side was going to pass out. He was looking down at his shoes as informed her in a timid voice that there was someone at the gates demanding to have an audience with her. 'Who?' Regina had asked; the boy replied that it was the sheriff of Nottingham, who had come on the account of Robin Hood. She informed the boy to lead the sheriff to the council chamber and then retrieve Locksley, the boy flew from her sight.

From what she had heard about the sheriff, Regina was not expecting much. And what she had heard had proven to be very true; he was an ordinary looking man, who clearly thought he was something extraordinary. He spoke as if he were a noble man – which Regina knew he was not – and dared to kiss her hand assuming he'd appear cordial. Regina had wanted to snap his neck for that, but she was far too curious to see how events would unfold to finish him off. For the moment anyway.

She played her part, pretended to sympathize with the sheriff's ideals. But it was after the thief's brief exchange of words with the sheriff that Regina felt her blood simmer with murderous impulses towards that disgusting man.

_He had raped the thief's wife?_

Regina knew she was no saint, her heart blackened to the point of no return. But the way men thought they had a right to claim ownership and force themselves on women was something she had always found appalling, her abhorrence had only grown throughout her marriage to the King. She remembered how it had been her who had been a victim of such an abusive man. Back then, when she had no way to defend herself, no one could have helped her; her attacker was the _King_ and her _husband_, and to all outsiders' eyes she was merely doing her wifely duties.

She saw the anger and hate grow inside the outlaw's eyes and figured he was only able to contain himself due to the fact that his heart lay beating inside her vault.

Regina was sick and angry; she wanted to make that man pay, but she figured the outlaw should be the one to finish the job.

Regina would never admit aloud that she turned the man into an insect just so the thief could have his revenge on him, so he could avenge the violence inflicted upon his late wife. Even though she knew that he knew that had been her intention, for when he thanked her, the voice that reached her ears did not carry a single drop of the contempt he had been glaring her way just moments before.

As she studied him whilst they talked she was reminded of how long it had been since she had felt the buzz of his touch, almost a week, and that had proven to be far too long.

When he had asked her if he could assist her any other way, that small grin tugging on his lips, Regina could not resist but command him to fuck her. Then his hands were everywhere and she regretted wearing such a heavy and impossible dress. Regina eventually managed to free herself from it whilst provoking the thief, a sport that had become a favorite of hers.

The thief was on fire between her legs and Regina could not have been more pleased, his intense touch leaving reddened marks on her skin Regina would later trace with her own fingers and shiver at the memory.

It was good, it was too good. It was the best sex she had ever had; in every encounter they had, the electric spark between them seemed to grow mightier and mightier.

And Regina was flying, she noted that they reached their peaks in unison again, and once again Regina was momentarily deprived of air due to the overwhelming sensation. She tightened and he released and it felt perfect.

The mirror's interruptions were starting to get to Regina's last nerve, but she knew that now his interruption was not prominent of a jealous disposition, but of an informative visit which was bound to be important.

The girl was out. This was Regina's opportunity to try to talk to her, and manipulate her into ridding that imp of his power and making her life a hell of a lot easier.

She had the thief come with her, not inside her carriage, obviously, but ahead with the other knights. She knew the road that led out of the dark castle well, having made that journey – regrettably – far too many times. Her carriage flew its way up the path, until the driver informed her that there was a peasant in the road, and she ordered him to stop immediately.

She looked at the girl, who seemed very pretty, before opening the door to her carriage with a friendly smile that contrasted with her choice of attire.

"Did my carriage splash you?" Regina asked faking concern.

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you." the girl, responded with a pretty, tight smile.

"I'm tired of riding," Regina said taking a small breath looking at her driver, she looked back at the girl, Belle, her name was Belle, and said; "I'm going to stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell."

The conversation with the young girl went just as Regina planned; she was very naive and quite eager to believe anything Regina told her about being able to 'cure' her master/lover.

Regina laughed internally when she told the girl that _'true love's kiss can break any curse'. _ Break curses it most certainly did, but it could not solve all problems. Something Regina had learned with painful clarity.

Regina had heard a muffed laugh from behind her that originated from none other than that damned thief she insisted in keeping about when she told the girl; _'I would never suggest a woman to kiss a man who held her captive. What kind of message is that?'_

She did not think twice before sending a small enchantment down to his nether parts, squeezing to the point of pain. Then it was her time to hide a laugh when she heard him wince and let out a low groan behind her.

But the girl was gullible enough to believe that if she kissed Rumple he would turn into an ordinary man and they'd have a chance at love and happiness. Well, part of that was true; Regina could see that indeed it was true love that zapped between the pair. And true love would most certainly strip Rumpelstiltskin from his curse, turning him into an ordinary man.

She could not help but feel a touch of jealousy for the creature; he had found someone who loved him truly, just as he was, darkened soul, rotten heart and everything in between. He had been corrupted by magic and power and yet this girl still found it in her heart to truly love him.

He had poisoned Regina's life and tarnished her heart, tricked and manipulated her. She had resigned herself to the idea that she would never love again, and nobody would ever love her, and yet this girl had apparently fallen for _the_ _imp, _of all people!

_He does not deserve to be loved_; the jealous voice rang in her.

_But I do_, a young woman with braided hair tried timidly.

All voices were muffed by the cackling that came from the elder Queen who wore a crown adorned with a heart shaped ruby who insisted on telling Regina; _love is weakness,_ and this was the prime example of it; Regina was going to use love against her former mentor, to make him even weaker, to strip him of all his powers.

Regina did not need love; she could never be weak. What she needed was Snow White's blood dripping through her fingers as she slit the girl's throat.

If everything went according to plan, this 'Belle' would kiss Rumple and all her pretty dreams would come true; he would be man again, an ordinary man, capable of love but not magic. Regina did not even entertain thoughts of killing him, oh no, she would much rather watch him suffer whilst being stripped of his powers. That would generate much more enjoyment for Regina.

There was still one last problem that she was bound to now take care of. Regina decided that sooner was better than later to take care of an issue as _delicate_ as that.

…

That evening Regina sat on the bench facing her new dresser, there were three frames deprived of mirrors. She looked beyond the furniture set and smirked, bringing one of her feet to rest upon the seat and opening her legs wider.

She had let all her hair down, it cascaded down her back and the loose curls tickled her bare skin. Regina had shed all her clothes, and was sat naked as the day she was born. She ran her hand about her figure, brushing by her breasts, past by her stomach, down her navel until she found her core.

Regina closed her eyes. She massaged her bud once, twice, then lifted her free hand, summoning her magic to work for her. A mirror appeared on each of the once empty frames and she whispered once.

"Mirror."

Regina had her eyes closed for the sole purpose of not having to look at that man's face whilst she did this. She had been very careful in her vow not to specify if she herself was to watch the act as well. She knew he was there, she could hear his heavy breathing as she continued to massage herself.

"Oh your majesty."

Regina swallowed hard in order to keep her face straight and to quell any thoughts of how sick the person in the mirror made her.

She hated doing this.

_This is humiliating. _

But soon it would not be. She kept that thought in mind. Soon it would be him wishing this had never even happened.

She brought her index finger to pinch her bud and hissed, the little pain shooting spikes of pleasure through her. She resumed in rubbing her clit, now a little bit harder and let a small moan escape her lips.

"My Queen-" he stuttered "-you are a vision."

_We will see about that._

_We will see if you can indeed handle seeing me, disgusting creature._

With every intention to make him suffer in mind, Regina brought her other hand to assist her. It travelled its lazy way up her thigh and found her core, which was starting to get slick due to the activities the other hand had been performing. She inserted one finger and threw her head back moaning.

Footsteps reached her ears.

Regina smirked.

She continued to pump her finger inside her cunt whilst the other hand rubbed her bud lazily.

_Step, step, step_.

"Who is that?" the confused voice of the mirror asked in a whisper.

Regina did not answer but continued to rub herself, releasing another breathy moan. She still had her eyes closed but her lips had twitched into a grin.

_Step, step, step_.

"Your majesty-" the mirror stuttered, "Is that-?"

_Step, step, step. _

She could feel a figure approach her naked form and excitement flew about her whole body making her shiver; she released another moan for good measure.

"Is that the thief?"

Her eyes snapped open.

_Step, step, step._

He was standing right behind her, only a breath away from touching her skin. Regina could see him through the side mirror, he was looking at the hovering head dead in the eye, his expression unreadable. Regina could feel their electric connection tingle between them already due to his closeness.

"My Queen, what-" the mirror looked at her puzzled and Regina simply continued rubbing as if nothing out of the ordinary was coming to pass. Regina tilted her head a little bit more, making contact with the outlaw's broad, shirt-covered chest behind her.

The thief's gaze shifted down to her figure and he brought one hand to retrieve her mass of wavy hair and throw it over one of her shoulders.

"What-?" it was a mere whisper from the mirror.

Regina turned her neck to the side so the exposed side of her neck was more accessible, her gaze not really focusing anywhere.

When she felt the outlaw's fingers rest on the recently exposed skin, she could hear the mirror's distinctive voice whispering "no..." in disbelief.

The outlaw's fingers traveled down her neck and his hand cupped one of her breasts, she could feel his gaze burning her. His touch was extraordinary.

"No" the mirror said again, a little louder.

The thief brought one of his knees to rest upon the chair she sat on, beside the leg that was down, bringing his body to finally touch hers. She could feel his erection pressed against her back and leaned onto it drawing a low groan from him.

"Your majesty..." the mirror said in a pitiful tone

But she ignored his pleas and basked in the sensation of having the outlaw's hot body against hers. She continued to pinch and rub her clit and pump the other finger inside of her, her lower lip drawn between her teeth.

Locksley brought his head down to her exposed neck and started placing suckling kisses that made Regina's head go dizzy. She let out a content moan, releasing her lip and momentarily closing her eyes as he took care of her neck and pinched a hard nipple.

"No, no-" the mirror begged.

Regina was starting to feel light headed with the treatment the thief gave her, but her rubbing hand was still resolute on her clit.

"Oh, Locksley," her voice was low and a tad hoarse, the thief rose his head from the crook of her neck to meet her eyes. "Would you be a dear and lend me a hand down here?"

"Your wish is my command, your majesty." He grinned and kissed her neck once more.

The hand that had been ravaging her breast moved down and met her own, covering the hand that had been pumping a finger in and out of her.

"Allow me, your majesty."

He took her hand in his own removing her index finger from inside her, her other hand still moving in fluid circles. The thief then brought the hand up near his face and took the coated finger in his mouth, drawing a gasp from Regina.

"No, no…" the hovering head pleaded, and through her pleasured haze Regina found a smirk growing on her lips.

The outlaw let go of the hand so his own hand could travel back down her body and easily find her entrance. Two long calloused fingers were inside her and Regina threw back her head with a yelp, starting to thrust her hips to meet his pumping movements.

Regina's eyes were wide open now, one of her hands persisted in rubbing her bud whilst the other had found the thief's head and she sensually scraped her nails over his scalp. The thief's free hand ran lazy lines about her side, making Regina shiver and contract her walls around his strong fingers inside her.

"Please your majesty-" the genie tried, "Don't-"

Regina snapped her head up and regarded him for the first time. She had a repulsed look on her face, her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed firmly together, and although her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was uneven, she was still able to address him in all her regal hate.

"Didn't you want to see me touch myself?" she asked jeeringly. "Well-" she yelped as the outlaw – who was still going nice and good with his fingers down below – twisted his fingers and touched a particularly sensitive spot.

She caught her breath and continued; "Well, here you have it. As you can see-" her gaze darted to the hand that had not left her clit ever since the beginning "-I am still touching myself."

She smiled an evil, perverse smile.

The dumbfounded expression in the mirror made Regina cackle.

The outlaw's free hand had found its way to Regina's thigh and he traced the supple flesh torturously slowly. His touch was light but still electrifying. Suddenly he grabbed her inner thigh and tugged it.

Regina got the message and without drawing her hand from her bud lowered the leg so both her feet were now on the ground. The outlaw removed his hand from between her legs and lifted his weight from the stool, his hands encircling Regina's waist when she stood.

In a quick move, the outlaw kicked the bench to the side hard, the object screeching across the floor before crashing into the wall. Regina could see him clear as the day in the mirror to her side, and she chose to drink in his image to distract herself from the doey eyes that still watched her, still pleading.

He was clad in only a white shirt and his dark green trousers. His feet were already bare; he had removed his boots right after he had recuperated from walking into her room to see her already bare, looking at herself in her full length and completely protected mirror.

With his hands still on his waist, still standing behind her, he lowered his body until he was resting on his haunches. He then quickly ran his tongue through her slick opening, passing by her asshole – making Regina shiver – up her entire back, trailing along her spine, shoulders and neck. He drew his head from her flesh, his body pressed fully against hers as he stood upright. Regina looked at him and he captured her lips in his.

The kiss only lasted for a moment; when the genie's voice rang in their ears, both heads shot to regard him.

"I'm sorry your majesty." He stuttered, clearly trying to look away from the vision. "I should not have asked this of you. I know now; I was wrong." He paused to look at her, pitiful and pleading, "Please make him stop."

"No," she snarled. "You see, my end of the bargain has been fulfilled-" she grinned "- I have let you watch whilst I pleasure myself. But I'm afraid yours has not." She made a face of faked innocence and hissed when the thief started sucking the red mark on her neck. "As long as I have my little hand down here-" she motioned down with her head "- I'm still touching myself, and so you are still bound to watch. If you so much as close your eyes, you'll die."

She felt the outlaw let out a laugh that was muffed by the flesh of her neck, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle of her own.

"So sit back and enjoy the show, _mirror_." She drew away from the outlaw's grasp and, with one hand still between her thighs, approached the dresser. She rested her free hand on the piece of furniture and leaned her weight onto it, looking him dead in the eye, "You asked for it."

With that, Regina twisted her fingers on her clit releasing a moan, her back arched and her bare arse rose up. She continued to play with herself whilst she watched the outlaw behind her through the free mirror. He was burning holes at her with his eyes, the way he looked at her made her feel like the most powerful woman in the world.

He started working on his belt still staring at her, his eyes hungry and bottom lip trapped between his teeth.

"NO!" the mirror screamed and Regina laughed.

The outlaw smirked freeing himself from his pants and undergarments, shoving them down and taking them off, eyes still fixed on Regina.

The mirror's repeated begging for them to stop continued.

Regina had a smile plastered on her face and watched as the outlaw now approached her, clad only in his white shirt. He grabbed Regina's hips with might and hissed placing his _oh so hard_ member at her entrance.

The outlaw drove himself inside her all at once, burying his cock ball deep inside her wet sex. It felt like heaven, it felt like everything in the word was right, regardless of the fact that she was a maniac chasing after her seemingly helpless stepdaughter, and he was a bandit without a heart and yet could still possess an alarming amount of bloodlust.

They were right, this was right…

Regina's hearing had been muffed by the overwhelming sensation of being so thoroughly fucked. But now it was coming back and she could hear that irritating voice still begging.

"Your majesty, no, please-" she was so sick of him, "You've punished me enough."

The pair ignored his pleas and the outlaw drew his member almost all the way out before burying himself deep inside her again. This time they started slow, slow but deep thrusts until Regina was mewling and almost begging for more.

But the begging and whining coming from the genie were starting to thoroughly irritate her. She figured, even though she had planned for the mirror to watch the whole thing, she was not enjoying herself so much with his suffering anymore; it had become tiring. So finally drawing away her hand from herself she placed it on the dresser and looked at him again

"I guess the show is over for you mirror."

The outlaw stilled, with his cock still inside her he regarded her through his reflection on the mirror. "It's over for you- " she lifted her weight from the dresser and brought her working hand to cup the thief's cheek "-but it's never over for Locksley."

She chuckled as the thief started licking her juices from her fingers.

"Just remember this next time you ask me for a favour, mirror. Goodbye."

With her free hand Regina set her magic on all three mirrors and shattered them into thousands of pieces so small they turned to dust and disappeared. Regina laughed again.

For a moment, the pair just stood there, the thief's length still very much buried inside her, his hands started to run lazy patterns about her sides. The electric current playing about her skin made it so very easy to forget that this was just a ploy to get back at the mirror. But soon enough, she forgot all about the whole business and just allowed herself to _feel_.

Regina closed her eyes and let her head tilt behind when the outlaw started moving inside her again. He groaned as he pumped in a rhythm Regina was most eager to meet, his arms circling her frame, holding her against him.

Suddenly he drew completely from her and Regina voiced a noise of protest as her eyes snapped opened in confusion. His hands still had a firm grip on her waist and turned her around to face him. He had the smuggest grin on his lips, and Regina met it with a raised brow.

"What?" Regina asked, only now did she realize her voice had gone hoarse again.

"You are really mean, you know that?" he said, his voice low. There was no judgment in his tone, but rather the implications of the facts Regina knew only too well.

"I am aware of that." She responded, "Maybe people should start calling me The Evil Queen for good measure." They both laughed.

"Now shut up-" she closed the distance between their bodies by grabbing the white fabric of his shirt and pulling him into a quick but fierce kiss "- and fuck me into oblivion, otherwise you'll be at the other end of my evil ways."

Still wearing his smug grin the outlaw started leading them both to the dresser until her butt touched the wooden surface. With his grip still on her waist, the thief lifted Regina to sit on the dresser as if she weighed nothing.

"Oh your majesty, I very much look forward to being at the other end of your evil ways if they look anything like this." He mocked and did not give her a fair opportunity – as if either of them played fair – to retort before he buried his cock back inside her.

The outlaw quickly picked up the pace. Long gone were the languid, slow thrusts he was giving her only moments ago. However, Regina could not complain; the friction was driving her near to insanity.

He hooked his arms under her knees and pulled her even closer to him, almost lifting her from the dresser whilst still pumping hard and fast inside her, reaching even deeper. Regina was on the verge, holding onto his shoulders and digging her nails hard into the flesh, wanting to mark him in more ways than one.

This was insane; this moment right here was the best she could ever remember feeling. It should not have been possible, and yet, here she was, her body practically singing in pleasure as this savage, uneducated animal pumped into her, growling in her ear and digging his fingertips into her ass to bring her hips more forcefully to meet his.

She came, long and hard. Regina's head nearly exploded and she could barely register that he still pumped into her a few times before he found his own peak.

The outlaw was panting heavily with his head resting against one of her shoulders, his strong arms still holding her legs. Regina could see the veins on his bicep popping out due to the strain, but he did not let go.

This had been most fulfilling, the look of utter desperation in the genie's eyes, how much she hated the way that thing looked at her. It served him right. First he had made that outrageous wish, putting not only his life in jeopardy but hers too. What if he had worded it another way? Regina would have ended up yet again a slave to the pleasures of a man she did not love, a man she actually despised.

Only the thought of what might have been brought shivers of terror to Regina; she was nobody's plaything, and if he thought that she'd ever play fair after his request then he must have been even more of an imbecile than she originally took him for, with a level of insanity to match.

Then again, it was most probable that he was even more insane than she and the outlaw were put together.

Right now Regina felt like she had the world on a leash; she had managed to trick the nauseating genie into a deal which would only really benefit her, in addition to punishing him for pestering her every moment since he had entrapped himself by her side with his own naïve stupidity. She also had a new tool to not only track down Snow but to spy on her enemies, Rumple especially; that girl could be the key to stripping him of all his powers.

And of course, this was to add to the delicious man that was currently occupying the space between her thighs, the one who made her skin burn and her head go light and dizzy.

Pretty soon, when she would _finally_ be able to annihilate Snow White's very existence, Regina would be able to sit back on her much-earned throne and relax. But for now, there was always work to be done if that fantasy was to be realized sooner rather than later.

Taking a long breath, Regina straightened her spine and disentangled her legs from the outlaw's grip. Her movements made him draw his head from her skin as he brought his eyes to meet hers and relaxed his arms, their bodies still connected elsewhere.

Regina brought one of her feet to rest in the middle of the outlaw's chest and pushed him away from her. He stepped back, his now softening member slipping out of her, Regina felt the loss instantly and, for a wild moment, she pondered the possibility of having him stay.

But no, there was far too much work to be done, plus she would not give the outlaw the impression that he was anything special to her.

Because he was not.

He was the best sex she had ever had. Nothing more.

_Is that so?_ Humored one of the many voices inside her head, but she shut it up before it could say anything else.

"You may leave now thief." She said coldly, her foot still on his torso, his eyes looked from the foot to her and then back to her foot.

He did not look happy.

He moved from his spot so fast Regina almost fell from the dresser, having not had the chance to redistribute her weight off of his chest. He moved swiftly about her room, collecting his pants, putting them on and finding his boots.

Regina got down from her seat on the table to watch him as he walked about her room, he was a fine specimen indeed. Very handsome, and seemingly obedient – at times.

He had just fastened his boots and was already heading for the door when suddenly he stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly and met her eyes, Regina was clad in nothing and she could feel his eyes devour her image inch by inch.

Before she could register what was happening he was standing right in front of her and his lips were crashing down onto hers.

Regina knew that she should not have responded; she should have pushed him away and set clear boundaries. He was there to please her, not to steal kisses whenever he pleased. Nevertheless, when the tingling – which she had found was particularly strong whenever their lips touched – invaded her senses, Regina's head always became dizzy, and all her thoughts and plans melted away.

Regina felt one of his hands between her thighs again and her gasp was swallowed by their kiss. He drew two fingers inside her and twisted them in the way it touched a delicate spot. He drew both fingers and mouth away from her just in time for her to voice her embarrassing moan.

He was smirking now.

_Bastard._

"I just thought I could have something to remember this by." He said raising the wet fingers, a combination of her arousal and his seed dripping from his fingers, and promptly sucking them dry.

Regina's eyes were glued his fingers, she felt her teeth clench; she was so mad that she was so extremely turned on by this man. And he knew it; somehow she could see that he knew exactly what was going on in her head.

"Who would have known that outlaw and Queen made such a tasty mix?" He said turning around and heading for the door. Regina felt her blood boil. He opened the door and if he was not out of that room in less than 10 seconds, Regina would incinerate him.

He left and the ball of fire hit the door with an explosion.

Regina took a deep breath.

_Why am I so mad?_

_Control dearie; you have no control of that animal_, that mocking voice was back.

_If you did not like the joke you can always gag him the next time, _reasoned the still naked Queen drinking a glass of wine, _plus you cannot deny it that you did enjoy his…performance._

_Better get rid of him dearie, no good has ever come from loss of control,_ the mocking voice insisted.

Regina went to sleep that night with the many voices in her head arguing with each other, trying to reason her to act as they saw fit. This whole affair was bound to drive her insane. But the dull ache between her legs and the fiery spots the outlaw had created distracted her from the unwelcome words. 

…

The next day, a shy knock on her door drew Regina from her slumber.

She was just about to drift back into deep sleep when the timid knock returned. And persisted.

Regina got up from the bed and with a wave of her hand was all dressed and ready to severely punish the person who dared to wake her.

Regina's fuse was short as it was, and it was already burning when she called out to the door.

"Yes?"

A freshly broken, clearly adolescent voice replied "Your majesty? I have urgent news."

Regina huffed and went to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was a young man clad in a silver colored vest coat and white pants, a symbol in the middle of his chest that did not belong to her flag.

"Your majesty-" he bowed, "Forgive me for coming at this early hour but the news is urgent and you yourself did instruct me to come-"

"Out with it boy!" Regina said in a firm and loud voice. "Tell me what happened."

"It's Prince James your majesty-" the boy stated, "-he's dead."

…

**TAM DAM DAM DAM! **

**WTF, right?**

**Please let me know what you think and btw I wrote this chapter waaay before the Breaking Glass episode, so when I saw it was like, weird.. anyways, I'll shut up and sleep now!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everybody! I feel like I always start off chapters with an apology but I'M SO SORRY for taking so long to update! Life is crazy and crazy!**

**I would like to thank all of you wonderful people who have followed and favorite and reviewed this story, I'm so happy people really seem to like it – even the really twisted evil parts!**

**Thanks also to my beautiful beta Zoe without whom I just simply not be!**

**And here we go!**

…

_6 months ago_

"But my lord-" Regina tried to reason, "Is it wise to leave Snow all by herself?"

"Nonsense Regina," the King stated, "Snow is old enough to take care of things herself."

"Allow me to stay with her then-" Regina tried, "-to help her. Please my lord, I worry."

"Ah wife," Leopold said with that sickening smile. He brought his fingers to graze about her chin and Regina had to hold back not to finch at his touch, "-you are too good for my Snow. You spoil her too much, my dear Regina."

Regina gave him one of her manufactured smiles and responded with the words she knew he wanted to hear; "Of course my lord, as if she were my own."

The King was pensive for a moment, Regina internally rejoiced thinking she would get to escape going on this journey to King George's kingdom. Leopold had rarely taken her on any of his trips, the man clearly preferred the company of his infuriating daughter much more than he did his own wife's. But Regina did not mind in the least; she despised her husband, just as she loathed his daughter. The further away both of them were from her, the better.

But this time Leopold wanted to test Snow, see if she was able to manage the kingdom on her own, if she was ready to rule. The whole notion could not interest Regina in the slightest but when the King had informed her that Regina herself was to accompany him on his trip to the Southern Kingdom, Regina's mood sank to her feet.

She detested the man, managed to find every way possible to avoid being in his company. Exactly one year after Regina had started to learn magic, she had taught herself how to wield an illusion spell, which proved to be one of the most useful incantations she had ever learned. It would last for a couple of hours and that was more than enough for her purpose. When Leopold would request her presence in his chambers, she would cast the spell and go about her merry way back into her chambers, letting the magic fulfil her wifely duties.

But now, the prospect of this trip meant that Regina was probably to share sleeping chambers with Leopold, something she had not done in years and was not willing to do at any time in the future. The prospect of having him touch her made Regina want to vomit and cry; she still remembered quite well how he had forced his way into her on their wedding night, despite drawing back from him and trying to voice her fears.

She hated him more with every time he took her, every time she would close her eyes and wish she were dead, wondering how in the world such an act that had felt so unearthly amazing in Daniel's arms could feel so repulsive now.

"Nonsense Regina," Leopold said, drawing her out from her thoughts. "Snow will be fine. I know you care for her-" he took her hand "- but we have got to help her fly on her own, otherwise she will never learn"

_I will help that girl fly all right, _Regina mused; _fly out of the window._

…

There was no talking the King out of his resolution.

Regina sat in the luxurious carriage facing her much-hated spouse and forced a tight smile his way whenever he regarded her.

Suddenly it hit her. It was so simple, she wanted to kick herself for not doing it whilst she was still in the castle so she could have avoided this trip altogether.

The smallest of grins found its way to Regina expression as the King looked out of the window. She touched, ever so lightly, with the tips of her fingers, the back of her other hand summoning her magic to work in her favor. An almost untraceable green mist appeared on the back of Regina's hand for a moment, and then worked its way through her skin. She watched, pleased, as her hand – along with the rest of her body – grew a shade lighter.

Regina did not feel any different, but found that some of her usual theatrics was in order.

When the spell was done, Regina let out a ragged breath and clenched her middle screwing her eyes closed.

That immediately drew the King's attention.

"Is something the matter Regina?" he asked with concern

"Oh, it's nothing my lord." Regina said, making her voice a light murmur, "I just feel a little light headed."

"But Regina, you've grown too pale!" the King exclaimed, his eyes were wide

"Do not worry, husband," Regina faked. "I'm sure it's but a dizzy spell from the carriage."

"Your face is as white as Snow's, wife! You are not well."

_Seriously? Is he really going to compare my complexion to his daughter's?_

If Regina had not felt sick before, she most certainly was feeling sick now.

Regina felt like that was her cue and looking at the King with her best show of desperate eyes, she said; "My lord, I would urge you to ask them to stop the carriage."

The King, seemly understanding where this was going, ordered the halt of the carriage and before he could utter another word, Regina was out of the vehicle.

Then she ran, weaving her way through the trees for a good minute before she halted, resting her back on a time worn tree trunk. The entourage was barely visible through the very small gaps between the trees and Regina was glad, she knew nobody would come for her; the whole staff at the castle knew by now that the Queen was not keen on helping hands doing her bidding or lacing her corsets.

And she knew from experience that the King would not follow.

As Regina ran she could not help but feel like that young woman desperately riding her horse. An 18 year old who had just pushed her mother into the unknown and was trying to gain control over her life.

She regretted the decision of marrying the King every day, and regretted having believed Rumpelstiltskin. She had been so naïve back then; she believed that since magic had taken Daniel away from her it could also bring him back, and the power she would have with both a mentor like Rumple and her status as Queen would enable her to do just that.

_Fool._

She had been such a fool

Now as she ran, wind touched her cheeks like it had when she rode Rocinante, all she wanted to do was to never stop running and disappear. She could, if she wanted to; she could simply poof herself from this place and never come back. She almost did, but then she remembered why she could not.

Her blood lust rose to her cheeks, warming them and probably bringing back all the color she had vanquished from her face with her magic back in the carriage. She wanted that horrid man, the King, to suffer, she wanted to watch him die as she told him she loathed him and that she was going to kill his precious little girl. She would render in gory detail how she would do it as slowly as she could manage, so that his precious little flake of Snow could feel just a little of the pain Regina had endured through being married to her father. Being abused by him, being used by him, being regarded as nothing but a pretty accessory he could show off to other rulers. She longed to laugh in his face, to watch his eyes grow wide with terror when the King realizes he is finally powerless against the Queen. At that moment, she vowed she would.

So there Regina remained, catching her breath, back against the wood, she closing her eyes. She was wearing a dress that was definitely not fit for her surroundings, nor the weather. As they had made their way south, the heavy, ice-white dress became more and more unfitting, she had abandoned her muff and hat inside the carriage, but still, the tight and thick fabric suffocated Regina to no end.

Releasing a final breath and resolving in going back Regina opened her eyes, but her attention was suddenly drawn to a noise she heard not far away.

Reluctantly – and with much caution – Regina followed the sound; it was dry and poignant, as if something was being flung into a wooden surface in one firm shot.

Regina moved through the narrowly spaced trees and carefully hid herself behind one of the thick oaken trunks. When she looked around the tree, curiosity winning over judgment, the sight did not disappoint.

She was met with the sight of a man; clad only with dark brown trousers and boots, the rest of his body was exposed to Regina. He had his back to her, a back that twitched and turned with perfectly toned muscles as he pulled the string of his bow taut. The muscles of his back popped out and sweat adorned the pale skin which bared a slightly red hue due to Sun exposure. Regina could only stare at in awe as she felt a new feeling invade the pit of her stomach.

He released and the arrow hit the tree trunk with a muffed stinging sound which drew a small gasp from Regina who had been distracted mapping this man's attractive torso.

How long had it been since she had had a young and strong man such as this wrapped in her bed sheets?

_Far too long_, Regina concluded.

Something suddenly took over Regina's reasoning and if the yelp of 'Your majesty?' had not drawn her from the sight of this mysterious man, she would have stepped into his line of vision and done what she did best.

But the voice yanked her attention back to the road and her head snapped in its direction. She scowled at whoever had interrupted her plans, and murderous thoughts invaded her mind when she turned back to find the clearing was now empty.

She went back to the carriage, careful to repeat the spell on her skin to remove the blush of anger and… other things, as well as reddening her nose a little, walking carefully and slowly.

She was met with a concerned look from the King whilst she closed the carriage door behind her.

"Regina, how are you feeling?"

The Queen shook her head. "Not my best my lord, I must confess"

"Do not worry my dear, we are but a few hours away from George's castle," he assured, placing a hand on Regina's knee. She almost kicked his shin – _almost; _holding herself back at the last minute. "I will arrange for you to have the most comfortable chambers in the castle so you can rest."

"Thank you my lord." Regina said weakly, measuring her words with precaution, "Although I do not wish for you to catch whatever it is that plagues me, husband."

"Ah Regina, you are but too good hearted," he said with a small smile, squeezing his hand on her knee. Regina felt her stomach twist.

_Take your disgusting hands off of me._

"I will let you rest alone wife, if I have any need of you I shall send for you."

Regina let out what felt like her first breath ever since she had discovered she was to come on this wretched trip.

_Victory_

...

A few hours later, they had arrived at their destination. The castle was a far cry from the one she inhabited; the walls were constructed of a light wash stone, and tower after tower rose above, the symbol of King George's crest painted on each of the flags that stood above each of the tall towers.

Regina was in absolute no mood for any royal curtsies and false compliments that she was sure was expected once they met with this King.

She had met King George at her wedding, but then again she had met half of the whole realm's royalty on the day of her wedding, she could hardly remember any of them, nor did she really care. He was a widower, like Leopold, and Regina had to wonder if she would meet a version of herself on the arm of the King. Another young pretty thing of royal birth, miserable and with absolutely no say in the matter.

But no such thing happened; they were greeted at the doors of their carriage by the royal steward that was trying far too hard to make them feel welcome. He led them to the throne room where King George sat on his heightened seat.

They approached the King but sounds of running footsteps drew their attention back to the doors of the throne room.

Regina heard the King utter – with a not very pleased – tone, "James."

Regina turned around to look at the tardy Prince with annoyance already hovering about her mind, but the sight of the Prince himself had her taking a deep breath through her nose.

He was extremely handsome, the kind of handsome you would expect from a Prince but never truly got. As he walked in their direction, he had a dashing smile on his face, showcasing all his perfectly white teeth, eyes blue but intense, and blond, tousled hair.

The prince could not be a day over thirty years old, but he wore no beard which made him appear even younger. He was tall and strong, taller than his father, and most definitely taller than Leopold.

He was dressed as one would expect a Prince to be dressed, but was out of breath for having had rushed for this royal appointment. Nevertheless, he wore a smirk in his lips as he regarded his father bowing his head.

"Father." He had a baritone voice, just a little dark and strong, Regina could grasp that he had been raised to be King only by the tone of voice he used. "Forgive me, the hunt took more time than I expected."

He strode to where the King stood.

"James, this is King Leopold and Queen Regina from the North," the King said sternly, gesturing to the pair. "I trust you know your manners."

"Yes, of course," he said not having time to really look at the pair before bowing his head to Leopold, he lifted his head and met his eye. "King Leopold," he turned his gaze to Regina and she could see his expression change almost completely upon looking at her, he bowed his head after another moment, "Queen Regina."

He lifted his head and looked Regina deep in the eye for a beat longer than necessary, she could sense awe and curiosity in his blue depths.

_Hmm…_

_Interesting_

_This could be fun_

Regina smiled warmly back at him which earned her a grin from his part, his eyes still not leaving hers.

"This is my son James." King George suddenly interrupted their small exchange as both turned to regard the King. "He was out in the hunting party that was bound to fill our feats' table tonight."

"Oh, and be sure that it will," the Prince said a little smugness in his tone; he looked at Leopold "We even managed to get a wild boar."

"Ah, that is indeed fortunate." Leopold commented in his diplomatic tone; he had never been a great fan of hunting himself. "Although I'm afraid my wife will have to excuse herself from dinner, she's not feeling her best."

"Oh?" Prince James regarded Regina with a puzzled expression, he looked almost disappointed.

"I'm afraid my health has proven to be a little too fragile for long carriage journeys," Regina explained in her usual pleasant tone "I'm not really used to them."

It wasn't a lie; Regina was much more used to riding horseback, preferred it to the tedious monotony of the royal carriage. Although Regina was sure that if she had indeed gotten sick in the carriage, it was due to the company and not the shaking.

Regina gave the Prince a weak smile which he returned; she could see he fisted one of his hands on his side.

"James," King George said, "Why don't you show Queen Regina to her chambers? She must be weary and in need of rest." He then looked to Leopold; "I need to discuss some issues with King Leopold."

"Of course father-" James said as he turned to his father, it escaped Leopold's eye – but not Regina's – when the Prince grinned for a split second back at his father, who gave the young man a roll of eyes. The Prince approached Regina and offered his arm; "Queen Regina?"

She hooked a hand into the crook of his elbow and they both exited the chamber quietly.

They walked, arms entwined, in silence for a few minutes. He was indeed strong; she could feel his heavy, toned biceps through the fabric of his shirt. Regina let her mind wonder how the rest of this charming prince looked like underneath his regal clothing.

The pace he had chosen was far too slow for a lively young person such as himself. Their hips would occasionally knock together, or their legs would brush against each other's, but neither of them seemed to find it necessary to apologize or comment on it. A fact that started filling Regina's head with all kinds of ideas in an alarming number of positions.

The Prince broke the silence first.

"So, Queen Regina-" he started, "-how do you like the kingdom?"

"Well, it's quite early for me to have formed a valid opinion yet," Regina said in her gentle tone she knew worked wonders with nobles and gave him a small smile.

"That is true," he chuckled

"But-" Regina turned to look at him, the sunlight beating on his light hair made him look even more handsome, and God, he knew it "-from what I have seen so far I find it quite charming."

"I am glad we've made a good impression so far, your majesty." He smirked at her.

…

Regina popped another blueberry inside her mouth, tasting the bittersweet sting of the fruit and sighing contently after swallowing.

She had shed all her heavy and unconformable clothing as soon as the door had shut behind her. Regina was careful to lock the door behind her, grateful for some privacy at last. If she had been forced to share a room with Leopold, she might have set fire to her expensive light velvety grown. The King adored it, therefore Regina abhorred every detail.

She had drawn herself a bath with the assistance of her magic, summoning the water and bringing it to a pleasant temperature – not too hot, not too cold. She basked inside the spacious tub for as long as she wanted, the warm water easing the muscles on her back, easing her foul mood into an almost calm disposition.

The trunks containing Regina's many possessions had been brought to the chambers before her arrival, but Regina was not at the leisure of even bending down to retrieve her clothing. After stepping out of the tub, shivering at the feel of the cold stone against the soles of her feet, Regina simply waved her hand, and the cool slippery feel of silk hugged her still wet figure.

The fabric clung to her erect nipples and became see through due to the mixture of wet flesh and the light colored silk. Regina did not care.

Regina thought of this as her own little protest against the customs and laws of royalty, which she had always despised, ever since she could remember, and now was bound to obey more than anybody else. She let her dark curls fall from the knot she had created in order to bathe and sighed.

This was to be her new, little prison for the time being.

Though Regina was accustomed to being trapped, and she rather enjoyed the change in the scenery; anything was better than having to accompany the King.

Regina planned to spend her evening inside that very room, a beautiful, spacious chamber, very clearly decorated to please a young lady. The four-poster bed was made out of a creamy colored wood, the fabrics which adorned it in pastel toned blues and greens fell gracefully. Not much to Regina's liking, but the bed did house several comfortable cushions and pillows which pleased her immensely. Regina was also thankful for the balcony, it was not as large as her own but it would do quite nicely. The double doors that led to them were of the same wood as the bed but shared space with light blue glass, making Regina sigh at the idea of light coming inside her room early in the morning.

Regina watched the Sun set, leaning against the secure fence of the balcony, letting the last rays of warmth caress her exposed skin.

Regina's mind wondered as to the reasoning for her being here, and with whom, and even the peaceful landscape could not stop the tears from pooling in her dark brown orbs.

She thought of Daniel, her sweet stable boy, lost to her forever. She still loved him, so very much, and she hung on to that feeling with a death grip. It was the only good and pure thing in her life, the memories of Daniel, the stolen kisses in the barn, the 'riding lessons' in which they would ride as far and as fast as they could muster, crush their bodies against each other and kiss like it was the last day of the world...

"oh Daniel…" she closed her eyes and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, Regina reopened her eyes and pushed back the happy but hurtful memories.

When the sun was a bare bright string of light against the horizon, Regina reentered her pastel prison with a sigh.

She would try to get some sleep and then keep her eyes closed for as long as she could manage, hoping slumber would bring her pleasant dreams of a time when a blue-eyed, young man held her tight and whispered he loved her.

A knock on the door snapped Regina out of her daydreams, and remembering her place and station, Regina slipped on her pleasant Queen mask and went to the door unlocking it. A middle-aged maid stood at her door, holding a tray containing various types of fruit and a jar along with a chalice.

"Good evening your majesty," she said, pleasantly smiling at Regina after bowing her head, "I have brought you your dinner."

"Oh, thank you." Regina said in a voice she could hardly recognize herself as she made way for the woman to enter the room.

"Don't you worry your majesty-" the maid said as she walked in and placed the tray on a small circular table "-all these are quite soothing for the stomach, nothing to make you ill."

"Well, thank you-" Regina stated "-then I don't suppose you have brought me any wine?" Regina asked with a laugh, appearing in jest, but truly, right now, wine was sounding like the best idea she had had all day.

"God forbid, no your majesty" the servant replied amused, "I have brought you a special mix of berries made into a juice that treats the uneasy stomach." The woman explained as she made her way back to the door, for which Regina was quite thankful, about a minute of curtsies was all Regina was seeming to be able to manage at the moment.

"How wonderful, I do hope to feel much like myself tomorrow," Regina said as the woman walked out of the door and turned to face her.

"You will your majesty, do not worry." the servant assured, "I bid you goodnight" she bowed again.

"Goodnight" Regina said with a small smile and closed the door, leaning against it instantly after with a huff of irritation.

_No wine_

_Damn_

She could fix that.

Regina walked to the tray and inspected the content inside the metal jar that rested upon it. The smell was quite pleasant, so Regina poured it into her chalice. She brought it to her lips and tasted the medical miracle of berries and found she rather liked it, there was only one thing missing; _alcohol_

She placed the goblet upon the table and waved her hand about it. The liquid contents bubbled for a second before easing inside the cup as if nothing had happened. Regina tasted it and sighed happily.

_This will do just __fine__._

Regina laughed at the thought that she herself might have been quite an accomplished cook, had she ever been given the chance.

And so Regina popped blueberry after blueberry inside her mouth lazily, she had brought the plate to the bed and laid there, only thought in her head was the wonder if the next berry was to be bitter or sweet.

Regina was almost dozing off at the tedious act, the wine having made her a tad sleepy when a sharp knock to her wooden door woke her from her small haze.

Her head shot up from the pillows in alert; this knock did not belong to any servant. This knock was firm and incisive. It was not the knock that asked but demanded.

Dread filled Regina's heart.

_Leopold._

_No__._

With her eyes glued to the door, Regina started to summon her magic to cast her illusion spell. She rose from the bed reluctantly and headed for the door in the slowest pace known to men. She took a deep breath as her hand met the handle in order to try to calm her nerves.

Her mask, she had to put on the mask.

Concentrating hard, Regina was able to hide her true colors and plaster a tired but sweet look upon her face. Since she knew her dear husband was not going anywhere, especially when he was in need of what he came to claim from her at night, she opened the door, spell ready to be cast.

The spell, however, laid forgotten, vanishing from the tips of Regina's fingers as soon as she saw to whom exactly the firm knock belonged.

Prince James.

Prince oh-so-handsome, please-ravage-me-now James was at her door, smiling in his best attempt to look earnest. Regina was very good at reading people and knew that if that man had come to see her at night there was only one goal in his mind.

Regina even entertained thoughts for letting him have what he was seeking, but of course, he would have to work for it.

He stood there and to Regina's utter surprise, holding a couple of folded blankets on one of his arms.

"Prince James!" Regina let escape in a startled higher tone that she had not intended on using.

"Queen Regina-" he started, that baritone voice pleasing her ear, "-please forgive my intrusion"

"Oh no,-" Regina started in her sweet pleasant Queen façade "- it's no trouble my lord, please" she stepped aside and gestured for the prince to enter her chambers, which was not the most lady like of attitudes, especially when she was clad in such thin fabric, which had, thankfully, long been dry.

"You were dearly missed at dinner tonight," he said as he strolled inside, Regina closed the door behind him, turning around to meet his eye in a pleasant toothless smile.

_What am I doing?_

_Why did I close the door?_

_Am I really going to do this?_

Excitement bubbled in the pit of Regina's stomach. At last, a fun distraction after such dull months had dragged on.

"Oh, I am sorry about missing dinner." Regina started clutching her robe to her, crossing her arms about her torso, "But I'm afraid I would have been such dull company. I have not yet mustered all my strength back."

"I am sure you could never be anything even resembling dull, your majesty" he said, a small grin on his lips.

He inspected her body from head to toe, the light silk covered most of it, all of her legs, the extension of her arms, but it was tight and hugged her figure, showcasing her curves.

"Well thank you your majesty, you are much too kind-" Regina said, bringing a little crimson to her cheeks.

"I only speak the truth, Queen Regina" Gods she hated when people called her 'Queen' Regina; it was as if she were not herself, not a real person, but a mere title, an institution.

He smiled at her and she reciprocated with the same intensity but brought her eyes quickly to the floor to give the illusion of bashful sincerity.

_What was happening?_

Regina's eyes darted to every location in the room but the spot where the Prince stood in silence. She could feel his intense gaze on her.

He cleared his throat before confessing; "I have brought you some extra blankets-"

_Oh, no he did not..._

"-in case you get chilly during the night."

That had to be the most ridiculous excuse she had ever heard.

"This room in particular could get quite cold during the night."

_Oh, and let me __guess__; you want to assist me in keeping warm?_

"Thank you Prince James-" Regina said meekly, pretending to buy his lame excuse to come and see her alone, "-but there was no need, you really needn't have worried-"

"I can assure you it was no trouble at all." his gaze lingered a beat more on her breasts before they returned to her face and Regina had to wonder if he could see her hard nipples through the dry fabric.

"Could I interest you in a glass of wine?" she tried.

This could prove to be a much more enjoyable night than she had previously anticipated.

"Yes!" he practically beamed opening up a smile, and what a killer smile. If Regina had been younger and more naïve, her knees would have definitely have felt weak at this particular show of teeth.

But Regina was no naïve maiden, no gullible young woman, and she knew what that smile was seeking. But the prince did not need to know that, Regina rather liked the idea that he would think she was just a kindhearted, young ruler with a fragile health. So, smiling her kindest smile, Regina gestured to the table where her magically prepared wine rested.

They both approached the table and the Prince set the blankets on the back of the chair before sitting down, his eyes never leaving Regina.

Upon seeing this, Regina smirked inwardly at the possibilities. Her robe might have been long sleeved and ankle length, but she could most certainly work some magic in her favor.

Her empty goblet rested upon the table and she realized they only had one cup. Biting the inside of her cheek Regina bent down to retrieve the jar, Regina lingered and performed the process of filling the cup leisurely, being certain that in her bending down, the V created by the wrap of her robe about her breasts dipped and gave the prince an ample view of her chest.

Needless to say it worked out wonderfully; as soon as Regina was bending down the Prince's smirk dropped along with his gaze that ravaged her newly exposed skin. Regina observed out of the corner of her eye how his light blue eyes grew darker and how he fisted one of his hands hard.

_Good, __good__._

After pouring, Regina took the goblet and looked at him with a kind, bemused expression as she offered it to him.

"Prince James?"

He was snapped out of his haze and offered her a smirk in exchange for the goblet.

"Aren't you drinking?" he asked

"Yes, yes I am" Regina replied with a kind smile, "I just left my goblet by the bed"

She walked towards the bed and bent down just beside it in a spot where the prince could easily see her behind rise with the movement, but he could not see that her hands were working magic in order to manufacture another cup. She looked back at him, still bent over and he had his lower lip trapped between his teeth. He released it as soon as eyes her met his.

Regina stalked back, pretending to be blissfully unaware of the sexual tension in this whole situation and poured herself some wine. Regina took a seat across from him and they toasted to her good health.

"Were you in bed when I knocked?" The prince inquired after he had moved the cup away from his lips.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was." Regina replied with a small smile.

His half-assed apology was not sincere in the slightest; "I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed you then,"

"Do not be sorry, I'm wide awake now." Her eyes grew just a little and ever so lightly Regina rubbed her bare foot on the Prince's leg once. He grinned.

"I wonder-" he started placing his goblet on the table "-why is it that you have never visited us before?"

"Oh-" Regina looked down at the table taking a small sip from her wine and said in a defeated tone; "- the King has always preferred the company of his daughter on such journeys."

"I cannot fathom why, you are such lovely company," the Prince flirted, but Regina could see that he had a puzzled look on his face, as if he could not quite believe what Regina was saying.

"Thank you, your highness" Regina said with a small smile and placed her goblet on the table, folding her hands about her lap. "But the King only seeks to show Snow everything he can about ruling the kingdom. After all, she'll be in charge one day."

"I take it she's not yours then?" Prince James inquired; this conversation was taking an unexpected turn.

"No, she's not." Regina stated and for a moment let her mask slip whilst she stated. "We are only 8 years apart in age, your highness."

This new information took the Prince by surprise; it always would when she revealed it. Not many people remembered just how young Regina had been when she had been forced into a marriage with a man old enough to be her father.

There was a pause in which they both regarded each other, and Regina let slip some of that real pain she felt for being in this miserable marriage. The prince regarded her with a frown adorning his forehead and brought his chalice back to his lips.

"My father wanted me to court her," he confessed, Regina's eyebrows rose in surprise at the new information. "But after spotting her at a ball about a year ago I decided against it."

"Oh?" Regina said truly surprised for a change, "Why?"

"She was-" the prince started, he gestured with his hand trying to find words to describe Snow, Regina could have fuelled him with a few of her own, but they would have hardly been considered polite, "-too vanilla for my taste."

Regina had to let a chuckle slip, the prince spoke truly; the girl was indeed insufferably vanilla. She let herself get slightly more loose and inquired.

"And I pray you, tell me Prince James, just for my curiosity sake, what kind of woman would please you then?" Her leg brushed against his again under the table, goblets long forgotten.

He widened his eyes at her question.

"Well-" he started "- I guess someone a little bolder, a little spicier and a little older than her. Definitely somebody more interesting and -" he eyes were on hers now, a grin played on his lips "- much, much more beautiful."

Regina raised one eyebrow. "Oh?" she said slightly amused, their eyes still locked, "Aren't you picky, Prince Charming?"

A strong wind stormed inside the room through the open balcony doors, Regina shot from her seat to shut them, hearing his hearty laugh at her statement.

"Prince Charming? That's new," she heard him reply as she closed the balcony doors. She turned around to face him with a small smile playing on her lips. "I merely know what I want; I see no reason to hide it."

"And have you found anybody who suits your criteria?" she asked walking back to the table. She did not, however, sit, but chose to stand behind her chair leaning her weight on the back of the piece of furniture, a move she knew showcased her breasts nicely.

"I might have, yes," he said, taking his time drinking in the curve of what could be seen of her breasts against the chair, he returned his gaze to her face as he spoke. "But I'm afraid she's already been taken."

Regina smiled back at him pushing her weight from the chair taking a few steps back so her whole figure was in his line of sight.

"Define 'taken'." Regina purred and if the Prince intended to reply to her question, he was muted by her actions.

Regina loosened the strap of silk that secured the robe to her body and let the light garment slide from her shoulders. It slipped over her bare skin and Regina could not help but shiver. She looked the now-dumbstruck Prince square in the eye; he looked at her in awe, his mouth having dropped. His eyes ravaged her body, seeming to catalogue every inch of skin.

"Oh my, I seem to have dropped my robe-" she said in her still friendly tone, his eyes were on hers as soon as she started speaking, complete bewilderment decorated his dark blue pools and lust, hunger "-would you be a dear and pick it up for me?"

The Prince did not move for a beat, his eyes raked her body and Regina felt like a truly powerful Queen. She could see that she had managed to shock the Prince to no end which amused her immensely and gave her a boost of confidence; her make believe 'kind Queen' façade was rather believable after all.

When he did move, he took quick steps in her direction, certain and strong. They were a mere foot apart when the Prince surprised Regina by dropping to his knees, letting a huff escape his parted lips.

Regina did not have much time to register his actions; in no time he was placing open-mouthed kisses her to her stomach and on the top of her thighs nearing her nether parts, hands coming to grab on the back for the thighs holding her close. Regina hummed at the contact and observed as he licked her skin slowly, groaning in between, probably still not quite believing this was really happening.

Regina encouraged him by opening her legs slightly. With a hungry groan he ran his tongue all the way from her right hipbone to her aching clit, which drew a small ragged moan from Regina. He gave it one stingy and nice nip before he removed his mouth from it to trace the other hip bone, one of his hands coming to grab her arse while the other got a hold of the robe she had discarded on the floor.

His mouth made its way up her body along her side, stealing shivers from Regina as the Prince hummed satisfied. His mouth then found its way to one of Regina's nipples which he took fiercely in his mouth, making Regina shoot her hands to grab onto his head and pull him closer, his one free hand sliding sensually along her back. His kisses then traced their way up her neck until he was biting her earlobe.

His voice was dark, much more than usual, when he whispered in her ear; "Your robe."

He drew back from her a little bit so they could make eye contact and lifted the hand that had retrieved her robe from the floor.

Regina regarded the cloth, looking back at him and replying; "I have no need of it anymore."

She brought one of her hands to slither under his shirt, feeling his strong torso against her soft palms "-it's grown rather hot in this room, don't you agree?"

She let her hand drop from beneath his shirt but not before brushing it against his erection. The prince hissed at the contact.

"I would have to agree with you, your majesty. Plus-" he said, eyes on her lips "-you look much better without it."

He discarded the robe, tossing it away.

"I think it's high time for us to drop the titles, don't you?" Regina started, she took one step forward, almost closing the whole distance between their bodies; "Call me Regina."

With that, Regina's hands found their way to his belt and quickly unfastened it. Prince James grinned and used his own pair of hands to push his trousers down along with his undergarments. He kicked them off quickly, never breaking eye contact with Regina.

"I'm James-" he said snaking his arms about her middle, bringing her body flush against his, the heat of his hard erection hot against her thigh, "-it's nice to meet you Regina."

And with that he claimed her mouth with a hungry open-mouthed kiss.

Regina was only too eager to respond; snaking her own arms around his neck.

She drew back from the kiss and uttered; "Ah James-" she drew a finger about his lips "-the pleasure is all mine."

He gave her a malicious smirk and attacked her neck with his mouth, tracing her heated skin with his tongue, kissing and sucking until Regina was moaning.

Regina felt jittery nerves in her belly when his mouth found her nipple once again, but this time lingering, sucking with fervor.

In the back of Regina's head, however, something warned her there was something wrong. She quickly racked through her thoughts to find out what was amiss and then she remembered.

_The door_

She had not locked it.

Regina broke the delicious contact and said out of breath, drawing away from him; "The door-"

He claimed her mouth once more, capturing her lower lip with his teeth and Regina moaned.

"James-" his fingers, his hands were everywhere, it was getting harder and harder to concentrate, she broke free with one last string of self-control left. "I have forgotten to lock the door" she said whilst she quickly went to the door and locked it.

He was quickly behind her, pressing his hardened length against her and pushing her body to the door.

"Why worry so, Regina?" he asked between the kisses he was placing along her shoulders.

"Somebody might come in," she responded. "I don't think my lord husband would be too eager to do commerce with your father if he catches you-" she sighed when he bit a spot on her shoulder "-negotiating with me"

"Nonsense" James said firmly as he turned Regina around. She quickly went to work on the buttons of his shirt, removing the useless garb from his shoulders. "My castle, my rules." He grinned at her. "And my rules say I'll make you will scream my name until you-" Regina shut him up with a kiss.

This charming prince was nice, more than nice, but she did not want him to get too cocky about all this. Therefore, Regina decided to tease him only a tad bit.

Her mouth started making its way down his front, she never broke eye contact with him; daring him to look at what was she was doing. Her lips kissed past his impressive torso, licked his abs, they were firm and strong against her curious tongue. Finally when she reached her destination, Regina merely gave the very tip a lick, causing the Prince to hiss between clenched teeth.

She took one look at his hard length and smirked.

_Big boy._

She drew her tongue from the base of his impressive cock until the very end in a long, smooth stroke. When Regina got to the tip again she could not resist the urge and took everything she could manage into her mouth, sucking with fervor, the Prince moaned quite loudly.

Regina drew back and stood up looking at the prince with lustful eyes, a small grin on the edge of her lips.

"Now-" Regina started, her hands snaking their way up his torso to tangle behind his neck "-show me what a dragon slaying prince is capable of doing to a Queen."

His hands found their way to the back of her thighs but not before getting a good squeeze from her arse. His mouth returned to hers in a fiery kiss, teeth clattered and small bites happened but it felt divine.

Regina was in that state of temporary happiness Jefferson had taught her how to reach long ago. A state where she felt pleasured and beautiful, cherished and wanted. Where she could take as much as she wanted and was willing to give all her body could offer. These were moments when she would rid her head of everything that plagued her, all the things that haunted her. This was a time for Regina to let her most hidden desires rush out of her. The Prince should count himself lucky they were going to rush out all over him.

He pulled her legs up and Regina got the message; in a heartbeat she had wrapped both of them around his middle. James lifted her with ease and started walking towards the bed, their mouths still locked with each other in frenzy kisses.

Regina had expected him to lay her on the bed, but instead he sat on the edge with Regina's legs still quite tangled about him. Regina broke the kiss and reached out for his erection that rested between their heated bodies.

She stroked his length unhurriedly, looking him deep in the eye and basking in his loud reactions to her touch. His grinning was almost constant, except when she would stroke him a little harder; then he would groan and bite her shoulder. His hands groped her naked arse as she continued the movement, occasionally grinding herself against him.

Regina was burning to feel that sweet friction herself, so she guided his tip to her welcoming and very wet opening. She lowered herself onto him slowly, he was quite big and even though Regina was as wet as she could get, his size made her walls sting in that good but painful sensation of being utterly and completely filled. When she managed to lower herself completely Regina had her eyes closed and a ragged moan escaped her lips.

She opened her eyes to look at the Prince who had a smug smirk on his lips, but the flush on his cheeks betrayed he was also very much affected by the whole exchange.

"I rather like this definition of taken," he said, his voice even lower than before.

Regina moved a little bit, adjusting herself to his size, and he released a small groan at her movements.

"I gather this is the best one there is," she said moving her hips a little bit more, this time her moves were more certain and even though his size made her cunt sting she continued, because deep inside, she quite liked the feeling.

Regina started rocking slowly and small whines of pleasure escaped her lips as the stinging became less intense and pleasure filled her core. Regina held onto the Prince's shoulders while his own arms held her middle steadying her as she moved building up a rhythm. The prince was meeting her every move and had his eyes fixated on her breasts as they moved according to her rocking.

The Prince brought the attention of his mouth to one of her breasts. His tongue flicked her nipple making Regina tighten her walls even more around his length. She started to arch her back at the sensation, her moments never ceasing as the intensity of his mouth on her increased.

Regina started lean back, her hands on his knees, the Prince's strong arms held her middle firmly as her body made a parallel line with the floor, his mouth tracing downwards in open-mouthed kisses. He tugged her back and she shot back up just in time for him to capture her lips in his once more.

His hands went down to grope Regina's ass as she picked up the pace in her movements. There was a memory of that sting she had felt earlier but Regina was far too engrossed in the feeling of their hot bodies against each other to truly care about it.

She was close, so close she could feel it, her nails dug into his shoulder blades as Regina let out a loud scream of ecstasy as she reached her peak. The Prince easily lifted her up rising from his seat at the bed, Regina's wobbly legs touched the ground for a minute before the Prince moved behind her. Regina's legs gave out and she found herself with the front her torso lying on the bed, her hips at the edge of the bed and her legs desperately trying to support her weight.

The Prince was quick to assist her; he took her hips in his hands and lifted her behind so it would meet his hungry sex. He entered her again and Regina's toes strained to reach the floor, she decided to wrap them around his torso, his hands moving to her thighs to keep them at his hips whilst he fucked her already sore cunt from behind.

His pace grew quicker and Regina drew her bottom lip between her teeth at the pleasurable sensation. It gave away to a smile at the thought of this wicked position that made him hit a pleasurable spot again and again.

The Prince was groaning and muttering 'Fuck Regina' and 'You're fucking gorgeous' and Regina could not help but moan, louder and louder. There were three extra hard thrusts before the Prince came, pulling out and emptying his contents on her back. Regina felt the warm seed pour on her skin and sighed contentedly.

_Why was I objecting to this trip, again? _

He still had his firm grip on her hips, Regina could hear his ragged breathing as could see he had his eyes closed out of the corner of her eye. She twitched her hips and the prince caught the message releasing her. Regina crawled up the bed in all fours, making sure her back was arched enough so she could showcase her arse.

She dropped her weight on her back on one side of the bed, soiled sheets being the last thing on her mind and looked at him. He had hungry eyes for her and quickly climbed into bed, lying down next to her. They remained a few minutes in silence, both of them evening out their heart beats, until the prince spoke.

"And the King?" he asked

"What about the King?"

"Don't you two-?"

"God no!" Regina scoffed. "I am much grateful that his old age has taken over some of his physical abilities." They shared a hearty laugh, "Plus, I much prefer young, strong specimens such as yourself."

"Is that so?" he prompted, propping his head on his hand and looking at her long and hard.

He brought his free hand to study her body. His touch soft as it followed his gaze, it sent shivers through Regina's body and she was glad - _oh_ _so_ glad - that she had come on this trip after all.

His curious hand found her core and Regina opened her legs a little bit so he could explore her sex further.

He had a strong hand but his skin was rather smooth, which felt rather pleasant against her equally unspoiled flesh. Regina sighed as his fingers found their way inside her opening; it was still slick from her arousal. He twisted two fingers, hooking them, hitting an especially pleasurable spot and Regina arched her back at the delicious sensation that washed through her body. He withdrew his fingers only too quickly and before Regina could register what was happening he was in between her legs and filled her again with his already hard cock.

_This is going to be a long night…_

…

And a long night it was, and for the remaining days of the trip to the Southern kingdom, Regina's indisposed health seemed to never leave her. It had kept her from attending to most of the royal appointments, she had to restrain herself to be locked inside her room for the majority of the time she spent in King George's kingdom.

Regina was lucky the Prince seemed to take a great interest in taking her extra blankets with skillfully hidden bottles of wine beneath them. They would spend the nights awake drinking and laughing, making fun of the customs and laws of etiquette they were both so annoyed by and yet had to follow to the letter.

Regina would occasionally let her mask slip; show her true colors as they discussed being forced into doing almost everything. She felt light, having somebody who understood a little of what she had been through; the Prince had told her he was not too eager in his prospects of wife his father had selected for him. He had stated they had all been either too stuck up or too sweet, none of them had an edge.

Of course, most of their time was spent not talking, but panting and moaning against the other's skin. The Prince was an exquisite lover; he had a big tool to play with and he sure knew how to use it. He had brought Regina many a screaming orgasm whilst her body was pressed to the various surfaces, from the comfort of his bed to the biting cold of the stone floor of her washroom. Even though his big length would leave her sore and sensitive she always yearned for more.

So Regina was rather sorry when the week came to an end and her and Leopold had to return to their kingdom, and thus a cold, empty bed every night.

Regina was well advanced in her magic training by now, and could - if she wanted - poof herself to his rooms anytime she wanted. However, that involved actually telling the Prince of her magical powers which was something Regina was not willing to share with anybody, let alone a Prince.

Sure he had been pleasant and they had had a good laugh at the account of her husband and the meek ladies who went to his court, but she did not trust him with this information. She had trusted very few with it and she preferred to keep it that way. Especially since she knew that King George was going through difficult times and the last thing Regina needed was for him to start asking for favors that did not involve her mouth on his cock.

He had been the one to show, two weeks after their parting, claiming he was on his way north hunting and had injured his horse.

The blind, pathetic King had offered him shelter whilst his horse - which the prince said he could not possibly hunt without - regained his full strength.

That night Leopold had requested her presence in his chambers and Regina groaned inwardly at her luck. She performed her spell letting her magical clone waltz it's way to the King's chambers whilst she made her own to the Prince's.

The Prince ended up staying for five long days in the castle. When his horse was more than healed - the stable hands had claimed the horse was fit to ride again on the second day but the Prince would not hear of it - he departed.

For the past six months the prince would sneak inside her rooms in the middle of the night and without so much as a warning slip beneath her covers, Regina would wake up to a warm mouth eating her sex or to the biggest cock she had ever had pressing against her belly. Those were the best nights.

It had never been anything quite serious. Regina was unfortunately never in a position of liberty to simply go to him so his visits were most welcome but after the aching in her sex finally ceased she could not say she truly missed him. He was a rather good source of that temporary happiness she had gotten so skilled at getting.

...

_Present day_

"What?" Regina hissed narrowing her eyes.

"Prince James was killed your majesty," the young man told her, "he had just won a battle against the giant of Numb and was celebrating, when the beast, in its final breath, drew his spear through the Prince's middle," he detailed, "I was there."

Regina's eyes had gone wide with the man's tale.

_This cannot not be._

"I have been kept from coming sooner by my duties," he stated, "But as soon as I was able to get away I rode here to inform you, your majesty."

"And why haven't I been formally informed of this?" Regina's head was abuzz, James could not be dead, she would have known, his kingdom would have been in mourning; she would have been invited to a service of some kind, as it was customary.

"The King has locked himself inside his castle in his grief; he won't have anybody in, your majesty."

"Well, we will just see about that." Regina spat. "Leave."

She waved her hand, some gold coins appeared out of the think air and hit the man who crouched to pick them up, Regina sneered and banged the door in his face.

One more thing to add to her never-ending list of problems.

There was something sneaky about this business, about the King closing his doors on the event of the loss of his son; a King that Regina knew was bent on following at tradition. Something was off.

When she reopened the door to her chamber, her southern scout had long gone. She commanded the soldier who guarded the corridor to find Locksley and tell him to come to her at once.

She would go to the southern kingdom and see what was behind all this. After all, she was in charge right now and as a ruler she could come and go as she pleased. Everything had changed so much; not ten days ago, she was a prisoner in her own room, confined because of a mere statement she had made in a private diary.

She wanted to clear this odd story. The reason? Maybe because she was quite high on power and thought she had the right to do so, therefore she would. Maybe it was because during these past 6 months she had started nurturing feelings for the cocky prince. Started to think of him a friend. She had shown him probably the lightest part about her, the little that was left of it, her irony and her humor, her acid tongue which produced remarks that would steal roars of laughter from the Prince, his humor always keeping up.

She had not thought about the whole affair as anything romantic; true, they were lovers, but it had always been much more about the physical pleasure. The release each one was giving the other, anything other than sentimental. Regina could not bring herself to feel romantic inclinations towards _any_ man, let alone 'Prince Charming'. The mere thought of it made her laugh.

Plus he did not know her, not really; he knew a part of her, the less terrifying one. Regina doubted anybody could ever accept all of her and come to love her as she was; hot headed, murderous, mercurial, impulsive and half-insane with several voices haunting her head.

The Prince would have ran to the hills if he had ever caught a glimpse of the true Regina.

There was a firm knock on the door and Regina knew only too well to whom that knock belonged, having had that hand work wonders on her body. She crossed the bedroom and swung open the door to find the thief on the other side, a smug smirk on his lips.

_So_ _infuriating_.

"Good morning, your majesty" he said, hands in his pockets, Regina huffed, turned on her heel and walked inside the room without so much as a word to him. He followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

"I do not see why it is a good morning," Regina groaned, not really looking at him as she went to retrieve a pair of earrings from her dresser.

"Well-" he replied, Regina could see through the mirror that he was leaning against one of the posts of her bed, arms crossed, smug smile still gracing those lips, "-if you have called me up here at this hour, I can safely say it will be a good morning for you once I've finished my job."

Regina had to laugh, such a cocky man he was. Although being fucked by the outlaw had become one of Regina's favorite activities, he was also to have other uses for her.

"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you," Regina quipped, whilst she secured the large emerald earing, she looked back at him and noticed the outline of his erection was visible through the fabric of his trousers. "Although such a request in the face of the savage kind of person I'm dealing with is clearly useless."

He frowned at her statement, uncrossing his arms. "What do you want me to do then?"

"I'm going to the southern kingdom of King George's, I want you to oversee the arrangements for the journey, select a few man fit for the ride-"

But Regina's orders were interrupted by the voice she had grown to loathe more and more with each passing day.

"Your majesty!" His face appeared again on the central mirror of her dresser.

"What is it?" Regina hissed turning to face the mirror, she could see the outlaw draw his back from the bedpost, frowning.

"I think you should see this-" the mirror said and his image faded away to show the view from one of the mirrors in the dark one's castle, more specifically one that faced his spinning wheel.

Rumple was there spinning his useless straw into gold, more gold than he could ever spend, more gold than he ever needed, Regina wondered – not for the first time – why he did it.

The girl, Belle, walked into the room and Rumple looked up startled to see her.

"Back so soon?" He said, trying to not sound surprised.

"Admit it; you're happy that I'm back." She beamed. She looked gleeful, hopeful.

_Just perfect_

The girl sat on a stool near the spinning wheel as Rumple replied; "I'm not unhappy."

In a tone Regina had never heard; light and playful, devout of any malice.

The girl looked down at her hands, then looked at Rumple, gathering her courage as she told him.

"I did not intend to come back," she said, her voice was low and timid.

"Then why have you?" Rumple scrunched his features.

The girl looked right inside Rumple's twisted eyes and slowly her face approached his. He seemed to be too shocked to move. When her mouth was mere inches from his he leaned closer and the gap between them was closed.

They kissed. It was a tender, tentative, close-mouthed kiss. Much to Regina's delight, his complexion started to change color, get even rosier. The girl drew back and smiled at him, a beautiful, truthful love filled smile, Rumple looked confused and dizzy, his skin changing color, Regina was about to burst.

"It's working!" the girl beamed, she held his face with her hands.

"What?" Rumple moaned, his hand making its way to his temple, "What's going on?"

"Every curse can be broken," she quoted, happily. "Kiss me again."

She leaned to give him another kiss, the human tone of flesh having almost completely returned to his features.

"What?" Rumple was regaining his green color and conscious.

"Who told you that?" His voice had grown angry.

"She said that if it was true love's kiss you'd be free from your curse!" the girl smiled at him, love, so much love filling her eyes.

"She?" Rumple was even angrier now "Who is '_she'_?"

He rose from his stool and looked straight at the mirror the genie was using to reflect the images, he stalked to it and pointed his finger towards the reflective surface.

"You!" he roared "This was you! You turned her against me!"

"What's going on?" the girl had risen from her seat and walked in his direction.

Rumple still had his glare fixed on Regina, she felt her cheeks burn, and her heart beat fast and hard in her chest. "You think you can make me weak?"

"Who are you talking to?" the girl insisted.

"The Queen-" he lifted his finger in that unnerving movement he always did "- your little friend, the Queen!"

"Yes!" Belle looked confused but still had a small smile playing on her lips, "She said, true love's kiss can break any curse and it worked." She started to walk towards him

Rumple quickly drew away from her as fast as he could.

"You have been working for her all along haven't you?" he roared back at her. "You never cared for me."

"No!" she insisted "It worked, it means it's true love, it means I lov-"

"It means nothing!" he screamed at her. "It means you were working for the Queen in order to defeat me! Of course."

"No, of course not! I just want to help you-" the girl begged, Regina could almost feel bad for her "-because I love-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" he roared, his colorful power sparkling from his fingers as his fist hit the wooden table hard making a thunderous noise. "It's a lie," he said through clenched teeth.

The girl was brave and insisted closing the distance between them. "Why won't you believe me?"

He grabbed her by the biceps and shook her as he roared; "BECAUSE NO ONE COULD EVER LOVE ME!"

He pushed her back and the girl nearly fell, tripping over her own feet.

Tears started streaming from the girl's eyes "That's not true, you know it's not, otherwise the kiss would not have worked."

She cleared the tears from her cheeks; she dared to approach Rumple and stand in his personal space, facing him.

"Get out," he said through clenched teeth.

"You know I speak the truth," she replied her eyes narrowing.

"I never want to see your face again." Rumple looked at her with cold eyes, his voice gone low.

The girl was hurt by his words but stood her ground and said in a confident voice that surprised Regina. "You are just too scared to lose your powers."

She neared her face to his, their noses nearly touching.

"Coward."

She turned on her heels and ran out of the doors.

Rumple remained static, frozen on the spot as he watched the girl run away.

The image died and the hovering head reappeared on her mirror.

"Be gone!" Regina said instantly as she saw he was about to say something and his image disappeared.

_Well… that did not go according to plan._

However, that kiss confirmed something for Regina she had been secretly hoping was not true; the girl loved him, all of him, just as he was. A jealousy she did not want to feel invaded her chest.

"Was that-" the outlaw - who had come to stand a few feet away from her to watch the scene - inquired, "-the dark one?"

"Yes," Regina replied in a breath.

"Well, the girl does have some balls to kiss him like that," the outlaw pointed out, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.

"That she does" Regina said still looking at her reflection in the mirror, "I will probably have to do something about that," she said quietly to herself.

There was a silence that was broken by the outlaw cleaning his throat.

"So, do you want me to-?"

"No." Regina cut him off. "I have changed my mind."

She turned to face him, "I will journey my own way."

Without so much as another word Regina poofed herself from her chambers and found herself in the warm, familiar chambers of Prince James, a journey that would have taken her at least a whole day, over in a second.

She took in her surroundings; the room looked exactly the same except the lack of one charming prince. It was dimly lit but a few rays of sun that managed to pass through the windows.

Regina walked around grabbing her long skirts.

She had opted for a seemly less regal outfit in her rushed spell to get dressed but no less dark. The pitch-black sleeveless corset had served as a top, held her middle tight and covered her breasts nicely, giving them a good lift. It was embroidered with many kinds of precious stones starting with brilliant black at the brim, changing to greys in the middle and finishing at the top with stones which were lighter, transparent white. Her skirts, for once, were not tight but rather quite flowing and did not restrain her movements as the majority of her clothes did. Her hair was down and tossed to the side; Regina had not had the time to think about it.

Regina inspected the unmade bed and could not help but smile, James' crumpled nightshirt mixed between the sheets. Regina reached out for it. It was still warm!

That bed had been slept in during the night.

_He was alive._

Of course he was. The idea of him being dead was ridiculous, that boy must have been sent to her as a prank of some kind. Maybe James himself, it had been a month after all, maybe that was his way of telling her he was _dying_ to see her.

Regina tossed the shirt back on his bed and started heading for the door, resolute in finding him and giving him a piece of her mind for playing pranks on her.

She stopped midway on her path towards the door, eyes wide.

_And then what?_

What would happen after they barked teasing words at each other?

Regina knew the answer, but a strange, cold sensation filled her stomach at the thought of it. It was not anticipation, it was not good, it was…

The door leading to the hallway swung open snapping Regina out of her musings, Regina's head shot in its direction and her eyes found the man she had been looking for, his expression startled.

Regina smirked at his choice of garments – a towel, wrapped low about his hips.

He opened his mouth and closed it twice whilst Regina started at him, an eyebrow lifted, her head slightly tilted to the side.

Tired of his silence, Regina broke it. "So you think it's funny?"

"I - " was all the Prince was able to utter, his hair still wet, he looked _good_. But-

"Was it you or that unnerving father of yours who sent that boy to my castle?" Regina snapped, she was very rarely a patient woman and today was not one of those days.

The Prince blinked twice, still speechless, one hand firmly holding onto his towel, the other dangling about his side. His mouth was hanging slightly open and his eyes started to travel about her figure, marveling at the tight curves her corset enhanced.

Regina was not in the mood for games so with a wave for her hand she used her magic to bang the door shut. The Prince gave a small startled jump and looked back at the closed door.

"Oh-" Regina said in a light voice "-I think I forgot to mention about my magic." She laughed when his face turned back to hers, his eyes wide.

"Oops" she teased.

He continued to stare, getting on Regina's last nerve.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shook her head "Never mind that. Tell me why you sent that scout with that ridiculous message to my castle."

She took several paces in his direction. "Did you want me confess to you that I was worried? That I cared?" Her expression was tight but her tone was light, she did care, she was worried, but she would be damned if she would ever confess to it.

"Were you?" he finally spoke, his voice was odd.

"Oh, it speaks!" She mused. "Did I care?" She pretended to think, "Well I never really believed it; your little prank did not work."

The Prince looked truly embarrassed and out of sorts when he murmured, "I'm sorry?"

"Ah James-" she huffed getting closer to him, she noticed he took two steps back "- if you wanted to see me, certainly you could have come up with a better message. Things are a far cry from what they once were dear, now that Leopold is gone."

"King Leopold?" he questioned.

"Yes! My_ dear_ late husband, who else?" Regina frowned, what was he trying to achieve with this?

"You're the Queen?" His eyes were wide.

"Has somebody knocked you over the head with a heavy instrument James?"

"I am-" he tried, he looked so out of sorts, so confused, it was endearing and irritating, and hot since his eyes raked her breasts, which were almost bursting from her corset with her every heavy breath. Again, it enticed her.

Regina stopped three mere feet from him and inspected his form. His skin was a little bit wet, a single hand still holding onto the towel whilst the other made its way to his hair, showcasing that strong bicep he had.

_I had forgotten how attractive he was, but something is not right._

Regina pushed the thought away.

"Never mind that." She sighed, "I'm here now, that's what you wanted, right?" she looked him dead in the eye and without a second to loose grabbed the towel and tore it from his body.

His reaction was the very last thing she expected him to do; he let out a surprised yelp and immediately covered his member with his hands, which drew a hearty laugh from Regina.

"What on earth is wrong with you, James?" she said with the smile from her laughs still on her lips. "It's nothing I have not seen before dear."

"You have?" he looked puzzled.

"What game is it that you are playing, James?" Regina started growing irritated once more "I would think you would remember you had that up my ass on more than one occasion."

"What?" he whispered, Regina could see his cheeks grow a shade of red and closed the space between their bodies and looked deep inside his eyes.

They were the same tone of light blue she remembered and yet were a completely different set altogether. Those eyes told her a different story, a story she had not seen reflected upon them all the numerous times she had looked upon them. They held kindness and fear and something else Regina had not seen in a very long time; innocence.

She jerked her body back a little bit at the revelation his eyes told her.

This was not James.

Although he looked just like him, it was not James, not by a long shot.

Regina's hand went instinctively to the impostor's throat, choking him as she demanded through clenched teeth; "Who are you?"

His hands had decided to stop hiding his modesty to try and extract her hands from his throat. She quickly dropped one whilst the other clutched his cheeks, her eyes were wide.

"I know you are not the Prince." She whispered, dangerously low. "No need in pretending that you are. Tell me what this is about! Where is he?" Her voice had risen.

"Dead," he managed to say through her firm grip, she let go of his face immediately at the revelation and took two steps back.

"How?" it was a mere whisper.

"He was killed by an adversary he thought already dead while he celebrated the victory." The man who bore James' face explained in earnest.

"So the messenger was telling the truth -" Regina said more to herself. "Who are you then? Is that some sort of glamour spell?" her eyes snapped back at his.

"No." he said simply "I'm the Prince's twin brother."

Regina's eyes went wide "Oh! That does explain a lot. But I never saw you at court nor had James ever mentioned a brother."

He crouched and picked up the towel and wrapped it about his middle again and responded "James was adopted by the King. I remained with my family in our farm, I never knew I had a brother until a few days ago."

"Farm?" Regina mocked.

"Yes, I'm a shepherd." He said simply.

"Ah, I see- " Regina's mind was set to work "- and the King, not bearing the idea of losing his son in such a humiliating fashion decided to substitute him with a shepherd who shared his face?"

Regina had to laugh; King George would stop at nothing to keep up appearances.

"I guess, I had just arrived in the castle last night. I'm yet to know what the king wants from me." He was being completely honest.

Regina breathed in a large gulp of breath.

_James was indeed dead._

And although they had not shared a large amount of sentiment she could not help but feel saddened by the loss. Her face settled in a grave expression as she looked down at the floor.

"Where you-" the man tried, "-close to my brother then?"

"You could say that." She replied not letting any emotion flow through her tone of voice, her eyes still on the floor. She should be feeling worse, she mused. She had cared about him after all. But now, she just felt sorry for the lost life, lost friend maybe, but as for anything else-

"I'm sorry then -" he said simply "- for your loss."

Her eyes rose to meet his. "What's your name?"

"David."

"Well David, I trust you won't breathe a word of what just happened to anybody, is that clear?" her voice was low and dangerous.

"Yes, of cour-" but Regina was in no mood to listen to him anymore and watched as he stopped mid-sentence and gapped as a cloud of purple smoke enveloped her frame and she was back in her chambers in a heartbeat.

Regina felt her head was going to explode.

_A twin brother?_

_Dead?_

A cold dread took residence on the pit of her stomach as she sat on the edge of her made bed, clutching her middle subconsciously, a frown wrinkling her forehead.

She had to laugh at the memory of the stunned twin brother when she pulled his towel. She should have known then that that was not James. But laughing made her head ache even more.

Regina needed a drink. Or maybe twenty…

…

_He was there in bed with her, doing what they did best together. He was on top of her thrusting his member inside her with force, making her feel that nice sting, that smug smirk on the corner of his lips as she cried out for more._

_He was alive._

_Of course, he was alive._

_Regina was glad he was alive._

_But out of the blue his face started to change, his eyes remained blue but the depths were not the same, they held something dark, evil. His hair grew a few shades darker and Regina watched in awe how his chin, his cheeks, his whole face morphed. The sting was gone, but it gave place to a zapping sensation she was sure was so much better than the previous feeling._

_That man, his touch was unmatched, it made her feel whole with very passing thrust driving her insane with desire. It felt so good, it felt too good._

_She felt whole-_

Regina woke up in the same clothes as she was wearing the day before, or partially so. She had managed to loosen her bindings on her tight corset during the night, after the sweet wine had made its way to her head, making her dizzy and sleepy.

She looked out of the window and noticed the sun shining bright outside.

_Had she slept the whole morning?_

When Regina moved from her spot on the bed she instantly felt a shiver at the memory of the previous night's dream.

_The thief._

The image of James was somehow morphed into the outlaw's and Regina did not feel like rationalizing much about it – she was actually afraid to do so – so she quickly rose from her bed and went for the door, grabbing the first robe she could find.

She did not want to think about the implications of dreaming so much about that man but she sure could have him make her dreams come true right now.

Regina poked her head outside her chambers and the guard almost fainted when she yelled; "You! Get Locksley in here immediately."

He turned to face her, bowing his head and replied.

"But your majesty-" he said gravely, "-Locksley left the Castle yesterday."

…

**Am I mean or what?**

**I hope everybody like my little Evil Charming chapter, please let me know what you think because I'm very scared about posting this :B And don't worry, this is an Outlaw Queen fic, the other guys are just a little bonus ;)**


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